Honeyliscious Face Wash

Of all the homemade beauty recipes I have created over the years this one seems to top the charts for everyone. It is a gentle face wash that is great on all skin types. I love that you can also use it as a body wash and shampoo. The honey in it is wonderful and sometimes I have to remind myself to stop licking my lips when I'm washing my expression maker. A little of this stuff goes a long way so don't get crazy and over do it. This should be your first step every morning to keeping you face clean and radiant.

Radiant Complexion - Washing Your Mug

Let us begin our adventure in at home beauty with setting up a good facial cleansing routine. Washing your mug is meant to remove makeup, dirt, impurities, dead skin, and excess oils. Cleansing your skin may seem like a no brainer but there are to many folks out there either over or under cleansing. If your idea of cleansing is washing your face during your morning shower and then going to bed at night without washing off your makeup then you are guilty of under cleansing. While you are getting your beauty sleep your skin is busy excreting toxins for your benefit. It can not do this properly if your pores are clogged with makeup and grime. Scrubbing your face as hard as you would a toilet till it is squeaky clean is over doing it for your delicate facial skin. Hard scrubbing and over cleansing can strip the skin of its natural protective oils which keep your skin supple and hydrated. Washing your face too much can actually cause nasty skin irritations. I take a daily 3 step process to cleansing my expression maker.

STEP 1

In the morning cleanse your face using a very gentle face wash that does not strip the skin but removes surface junk. I make my favorite face wash concoctions using castile soap put together with other beneficial ingredients. You could use castile soap alone as a face wash but I find it too harsh for my dainty face.

STEP 2

Before you jump in the sack at night use a cleansing oil or cream to gently dissolves make up and nasty grime. As the name implies cleansing oils are primarily a carrier oil with a few additives. Using just a carrier oil is a perfectly fine way to do this step. Now those of you with oily skin don’t go freaking out. This will not make you skin more oily. It is very nourishing for your skin and in step 3 we will be removing and left over oil residue. Apply the cleansing oil to dry skin and massage it in for a minute or 2 using circular strokes. Wipe off using a cotton face cloth.

STEP 3

After using cleansing oil we move on to a yummy facial scrub / exfolliant. Using a scrub will remove any last traces of oil residue left behind from the cleansing oil, improve the skin’s texture, help to retain moisture, polishes skin’s surface, removes dead skin cells, and clean pores. I know what your thinking and I agree, scrubs rock!! Remember when using a scrub be gentle and let the product do the work for you. There are a few ways you can apply a scrub. Wet your hands and pour some scrub mixture into you palm. Then rub you palms lightly together to make the mixture moist and apply to your face using light circular strokes. Remove using a damp cotton face cloth. You can also put some of your scrub mixture into a bowl, add a small amount of liquid, mix it to make a paste, and apply.

There you have it and although it may take some getting use to you skin will thank you for it.
Of the next few days I will be sharing some of my favorite homemade recipes. I can't wait!

Quinn Bouley

copyright of Chic Homestead TM2014

 

Chair Redo With DIY Stenciled Fabric

I was out doing some junkin’ at my local Goodwill store & found 2 of these chairs for a whopping $1.50 each. What inspired me about these chairs was the clean lines and metal frame. I knew once I gave these chairs a modern update they could be used in any room of the house. I envision them as a beautiful addition in the dinner room or a perfect pop of color in my office. Chairs are some of the easiest furniture to redo & get creative with. The fabric I used to recover the chairs was on a bolt I was given a while back for free. At the time I had no clue what I would use the fabric for. By itself it is not very attractive but with the stencils it makes it super chic. The techniques I will show you here can be applied to numerous furniture redo projects. The ideas are really endless.
 

STEP 1: Deconstruct the Chair

TOOLS: screw gun or screw driver, Staple remover, container for screws, seam ripper

I used a screw gun to remove the seat cushion and back. Don’t forget to put your screws in a secure place so you don’t lose them. I took the seat back and removed the staples from the bottom so I could slip the covering off. I repeated the same thing on the seat cushion. I am going to use the seat back covering as my pattern for cutting the new fabric so I turned the covering inside out & used my seam ripper to separate the front from the back. On the arms of the chair there is 2 wooden pieces which I unscrewed as well.

STEP 2: Cut Chair Fabric

TOOLS: ruler, scissors, fabric chalk

As I said prior, to cut the fabric for the seat back I used the covering I removed, laid it on my fabric, traced around it, & then cut it out. For the seat cushion I measured the size of the seat, then added 5 inches to all 4 sides, & cut it out of the fabric.

STEP 3: Stencil the Fabric

TOOLS: table covering, painters tape, cut pieces of fabric, stencil, stencil brush, acrylic paint, paint tray, old fabric scrap, hot iron, & ironing board.

This is my favorite part. I love stenciling on fabric. It is so easy. Make sure you cover the surface you are working on with something because we are working with paint which can seep through the fabric. I use a very large piece of cardboard to protect my table. Lay the fabric face up on the cardboard, place your stencil on the fabric, tape it down, & use the paint and brush to fill in the stencil. Repeat this process on all the fabric pieces. When you are done stenciling let the fabric dry completely. Once it is dry place the fabric on your ironing board, cover it with a piece of cotton scrap fabric, & iron it with a very hot iron. The hot iron sets the stencil so the paint will not come off. You do not need to use fabric paint for stenciling. I use Martha Stewarts Acrylic Craft Paints & the stencil s. I love her stuff! I also use tons of other stencils again and again from books I got off Amazon. I have listed them below for you. The books don’t just have stencils but great ideas for projects.

STEP 4: Reupholster Chair with Newly Stenciled Fabric.

TOOLS: sewing machine, power staple gun, scissors, & iron

First I took the front and back pieces for the seat back & used my sewing machine to put them together with wrong sides facing. I turned it right side out & ironed down the seam. Then slip it over the seat back, fold the bottom edge and staple. For the seat cushion lay down the fabric wrong side up & place seat cushion right side down onto fabric. Then pull fabric tight & staple all around.

STEP 5: Sand & Paint Wooden Arm Pieces

TOOLS: sand paper, Rustoleum spray paint, soft cloth

I took the wooden arm pieces and lightly sanded them to scratch up the surface so the paint would go on easier. After sanding I wiped them down with a damp cloth to remove any dust and residue. Then I spray painted them with several light coats of Rustoleum spray paint. I love the Rustoleum paint it is really durable & easy to clean.

STEP 6: Put Chair Back Together

TOOLS: screw gun or screw driver, cleaning stuff

The finish is almost upon us. Before I reassembled all the pieces of our newly remodeled chairs I cleaned the metal frame using Windex, a magic eraser, and micro fiber cloth. It made it shine just like new.

 



Cheers! xoxo

Scrappy Baby Quilt

I designed the Scrappy Baby Quilt as a Holiday gift for my husband’s grandson. I called it “Scrappy” because I made it from leftover pieces of flannel I had. It is really easy to make and can be done in one day. If you don’t have extra flannel hanging around then check out Joann.com. You can get amazing deals on flannel. I usually pay less than $2 a yard because I get it when it’s on sale or I have a coupon.


MATERIALS

1/8 yard of 8 different fabrics for the main squares (I used flannel for this quilt)
1 yard of coordinating fabric for quilt back
1 yard of a second coordinating fabric for the quilt center strips & border
1 yard Quilt Batting
Thread
Iron
Pins
Sewing machine
Scissors
Ruler
Cutting mat and rotary cutter (optional)





CUT FABRIC

1st fabric - cut (4) 10”x4” strips
2nd fabric - cut (4) 10”x3” strips
3rd fabric - cut (4) 10”x3” strips
4th fabric - cut (4) 10”x3” strips
5th fabric - cut (4) 10”x2” strips
6th fabric - cut (4) 10”x2” strips
7th fabric - cut (4 ) 10”x1 1/2” strips
8th fabric - cut (4 ) 10”x1 1/2” strips
solid coordinating fabric - cut (1) 41”x33 1/2” for the back of the quilt.
Quilt batting – cut (1) 41” x 33 1/2”
Solid coordinating fabric - cut (2) 3 1/2” x 10” Strips that will join 2 squares in center.
Solid coordinating fabric - cut (1) 3 1/2” x 30” Strips that will run down the center of quilt.
Solid coordinating fabric - cut (2) 4” x 30” Strips that will be the sides of the quilt.
Solid coordinating fabric - cut (2) 4” x 20” Strips that will be the top and bottom of the quilt.

Now that your fabric is cut you are ready to begin. You will need to separate your 8 different fabrics for the main squares. Make 4 piles and each pile should contain 1 of each fabric. Each pile once sew together will be a completed main square for the quilt. You can arrange the 8 strips in each pile anyway you want. You can make each one the same or mix them up like I did. Be creative!

 

Sew strips together with wrong sides facing. Repeat till you have all 4 squares.

 

  



Now turn over the 4 squares, open each seam, & iron it flat. When you are done you will have your 4 finished squares.

 

 

 

Now add your center & border strips. When you have added them all your quilt top is done.

 

Pin together quilt top, batting, and quilt back. Quilt it anyway you want. I just went around each square. nothing fancy.

Fold the overhang of the backing fabric in half to create binding. Iron it, trim the corners, fold in half again, Then sew all the way around.

There you have it! See not very hard. The only part I want to add is that once you finish the quilt top you should trim it and square it up.
Your questions & comments are always welcome.

Cheers! xoxo