Tuesday's Tips and More

Lit my first fire of the season yesterday. Warmed my soul, and the house. Another cold, gray day, just may need another fire :)

A few weeks ago, I did the first Tuesday Tips post. I don't plan on doing this each and every week, just when I have something that I think is worth sharing. I also asked if you might have a tip to share. Liese of Live Thread Studio shared a lovely tip on making your own lavender oil spray. She said that it is her go to sleep aide. Just spray a little on your pillow and drift blissfully off to sleep :) 

Lavender Oil Spray

50/50 cheap vodka and water.

For a measuring example;

1/4 cup vodka

1/4 cup water

lavender essential oil, use as many drops as needed for preferred level of fragrance. If by chance you don't care for lavender, any oil of your preference may be used.

Shake well before use.

Liese said that not only is it great on your pillow, it's great straight out of the bottle for small burns, and when mixed with a carrier oil, works on rashes for humans and dogs.  I just made up a batch, and it is fabulous! Thanks Liese :) 

I always enjoy hearing your stories, whether told to me, or that I find out on my own. As it turns out Liese has quite an inspiring story. You can read more about her, and her journey HERE. 

My husband loves Tic-Tacs, the little breath mints that come in a shaker like container. For years I have thrown the containers in the recycle bin with no thought of the possible organization tool they might be. A few weeks ago as I started to throw a container into the recycle bag, I stopped!, and realized that this was just the thing I needed.

What a wonderful box to organize all of my small snaps, hooks, etc. And because they snap shut, I can carry pins if I'm traveling.

The lid opening is perfect for shaking out just what you need.  

At this point, I have organized, hooks and snaps. I love that we have access to so many types of hooks, and now I can easily see what I have without digging through everything. 

A few years ago, I had gone to the American Sewing Expo in Novi to participate in the Passion For Fashion competition. I literally dumped all of my snaps, hooks and whatever else in a bag and that is where they remained. No longer!!! Now I just need to get my husband to eat a bunch of Tic-Tacs ;)

I need to figure out a nice container to store my tiny bins in. If you have an idea, I would love to hear it. Just email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com.
If you have a tip that you would like to share, email me as I would love to share it here on the blog. We can all use great tips!

Now for something rather magical...

While I was in Fredericksburg, VA, getting ready to teach a class at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, I turned around and a lovely young woman was standing beside me. She said that she had come to give me a gift. I was rather shocked! She handed me a bag, and inside the bag was a lovely star. The front has beautiful little white sequins,  

And the back is a plain, heavy weight of linen.

On top of the star is a bell and a reminder to dream. The bell makes me think of the angel in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life." A bell to remind us that angels are ever present :)

Before she left, she handed me a card, but for the life of me, I can't find it. If by chance the bearer of this gift reads this post, please email me. 

After the same class ended, one of the ladies who took the class came up to me and said, "I too have a gift," and handed me this lovely tissue holder.

Once again, I was shocked and so taken that she had actually brought me a gift. The tissue holder is now transferred each time I change my purse. Just the sweetest gesture. When I look in my bag and see it, warmth comes over my soul. 

It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Emerson. There's a pond at the Heller Nature Center in Highland Park, IL. The nature center is a place of true joy for me. While Little Bit was still alive, it too brought her so much joy. She and Gracie would run and run to their heart's content. Now, Gracie and I go alone, but it still brings great joy. Whenever I come upon the pond, I think of Emerson. It's his kind of pond ;) 

I thought I would share his words on the gift of our days...
  

And finally, I came across this picture of President Johnson singing with his little dog. Little Bit loved to sing, and she especially loved when I would sing with her. Makes me think of the joy that she was :) 

May your day be filled with joy!

Rhonda

Tuesday Tips

It is a spectacular day here in Chicago! So needed after the rainy weekend. A gift :) But...I feel a sore throat coming on, ugh. My acupuncturist's partner is a phenomenal herbalist and he makes what I call a potion, it's actually a tonic, called Cold and Flu Tonic. With the first sign of a sore throat, I begin taking a swig every few hours. You can find it HERE. It's quite potent, but works so well.

Karen sent a message after yesterday's post on Stephen Burrows and said that she has, of all things, a Stephen Burrows pattern. I had no idea! So, I decided to take a look, and here's what I found;

The shapes are quite basic, but now that you have seen what he did with them, the possibilities are endless for chopping up and color play. You can find all of these patterns HERE on Etsy. I did find a few on Ebay as well, but not as much of a selection as there was on Etsy. 

I purchased the pattern below.

I like the wrap top, but what really interested me was the cut of the skirt. Looking forward to making it up.

The shape of this pattern works well with how he drew his skirts. Look at the center illustration below, and then the 3rd piece from the left, the skirt with the red circle on the hip. Take note of how the skirt fits through the hips, but is flared at the hemline. Love this. 

I met up with a friend yesterday and she was wearing a fabulous pin. The leaves of the flower are leather that has been stitched. The swirly stamens are plastic wire. I plan to copy this as I loved it. 

While I was in Kalamazoo, one of the ladies had this little caddy sitting beside her machine. 

The front side had 6 little pockets, perfect for your seam ripper, a pen, scissors, and a needle can be stuck into the cloth.

The backside had a large pocket where she stored her phone. 

I am going to make one up today and I'll have a tutorial for you on Thursday. Such a great little item, especially for me as I have everything laid out so haphazardly on my sewing table. 

Last winter I worked with a massage therapist who really believes in the power of essential oils. She encouraged me to begin using 3 oils at night,

I use the Vitamin E oil on my feet and legs, the serenity oil on my forearms, and the breathe oil on my chest. What a difference it makes in how I sleep at night. On the occasion that I fall asleep before I apply the oils, I don't sleep as well. Then, the next morning, I'll remember that I forgot to apply the oil. The vitamin E oil I purchase from my local drugstore. The doTerra oils can be found at various sites. Just a little something I thought I would share as I think that a good night's rest is one of the best things in the world!  

Do you have a fun tip, or something that makes your life a little better, or easier? Let me know. I would love to feature it on the blog. If for some reason you can't leave a message, you are always welcome to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com :)

Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda