Decoupage developments

Since mu first jewelry box, I have continued to work on other forms of expression as well. It is a great joy to personally discover that you can decoupage about anything! Some examples follow, hope you are going to like it :)

New expression form I discovered-decoupage!

About a month ago, I have discovered another artistic form to express myself creatively: decoupage. It is very versatile, because you can work on about any medium, which gives you a possibility to visually transform about anything. You can renovate things in your home, or you can create something completely new-and make it look retro and chic.

Of course, as a complete novice, I have decided first to learn something (I went to an artistic decoupage course), and then to make something that is not so demanding: decoupage boxes.

Here is my first, hope you are going to like it :)

Natural cosmetics-great for our bodies and for our environment, too!

Making your own cosmetics can be such a joy. You feel amazing not just because you are productive, but also because:

•  you are creative: you decide which ingredients to combine in order to get just the perfect combo for your own needs
• you are health-consciousness: you are making products for yourself that are all-natural. You know FOR SURE what ingredients you have used; and that all of them are natural. There are no parabens, no conservatives, no synthetic ingredients.
• you are also environment-friendly: thanks to the fact that you are using only natural ingredients, you are not throwing away harmful chemicals. Thus, you are decreasing amount of these around you. Way to go! :)

I just adore creative part of this venture. I love the possibility to investigate with new ingredients, to discover what will turn out when I combine individual substances...this is just like the fairy-tale coming true.

Just the other day, I have made natural deodorant. This one is excellent, because it doesn't prevent sweating-it only prevents bad odors, and this is exactly what we want to achieve with deodorants (or should I say, roll-ons). You are simply keeping your hormonal balance intact and this is a great plus. Additionally, you can experiment with scents, depending on essence oil you choose to add-this one is completely up to you. What you will need is:

• bee's wax: 5-10 grams (0.1-0.3 ounces)
• olive oil: 100 ml (21 teaspoons)
• 3 large spoons sodium bicarbonate
• 3 large spoons starch
• essence oil:10-20 drops

Warm up olive oil with wax to melt the wax. Keep the temperature low as possible, to preserve wax's healthy ingredients. After the wax has melted, add starch and sodium and mix well to even the mixture. Then add essence oil, and that's it! 

Put the mixture in the cup/jar where you will keep it, and enjoy your all-natural deodorant. It will keep you smelling nice while you are sweating, and I really appreciate this effect :)

Why is natural, home-made soap so good?

Most of us these days primarily go for budget-friendly solutions. This means  that cheap commercial soap is more often chosen solution than natural, eco-friendly home-made soap. However, industrially made soap is nothing more then hardened detergent. Do you really want to use on your skin detergent you use for clothes? This might be acceptable for shorter period of time, but people with sensitive or dry skin should definitely reconsider even the shortest usage of industrially produced soaps. Why? Because these soaps remove natural oil from the surface of your skin, making it even drier and more prone to irritation or even infection.

Natural, home-made soap doesn't contain synthetic elements (conservatives, stabilizers, etc.). Instead, it extremely well hydrates and nourishes skin, enabling it to stay soft and smooths. Even those with very sensitive skin will not feel side-effects, such as itching or dryness. 

Another great thing about natural soaps is the fact that one can add any ingredient that will benefit individual skin type. For people with eczema, it is good to add marigold that intensively hydrates and nourishes; zeolith, mineral discovery of this age that is so beneficial for about everything, will sooth skin and force eczema to calm down.

For mature skin, it is all about hydration and nourishing. Soap with beautiful, divine natural ingredients that feed us both inside and outside: goat's milk, olive oil, honey and lavender essence oil, will do wonders for this skin.

There are so many good things you can do for your skin and entire organism, if you only make one right choice.

Lip balm-yum!

Just the other, I read a great post by one of Etsy members/bloggers, Briar. She explained how to make your own lip balm. I just love the idea to make one product that will totally follow my desires and enable me to be creative, yet again!
Today I bought beeswax and discovered that purchase of cocoa butter, shea butter or coconut butter will not be easy mission in my town. However, I have discovered where to get it-just across the country, lol. Yet, I will definitely make that one as soon as I collect all the necessary ingredients.
I am thinking about combo of shea butter, almond oil, a drop of honey, and few drops of marigold essence.Both honey and marigold have nutritive qualities, but I also love smell of honey.
All it takes to create this beloved product is to melt the ingredients and mix them together :) How simple, right? So, this is definitely a creative mission I will accomplish as soon as I get my hands on everything I need!
I am also reconsidering options for the packaging. Lip balm should be in a small and convenient box (tin), and I am totally clueless how to find such here. Only plastic ones, and these are not very decorative :(
I would love to get one of these that Briar Winters found! 

History and popularity of soap through times

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

Erich Fromm

First proof of existence and production of soap was excavated from the ruins of ancient Babylon, from the period of 2800 BC. These traces of soap were found in ceramic dishes an it was produced by cooking pig fat and ashes-which indeed is one way to produce soap.
Alkaline solutions have excellent ability to clean and degrease, and ancient Sumerians have discovered this 7000 years BC. Word "soap" supposedly comes from the name of Roman hill Sapo, which was location of sacrifices to gods, primarily by burning down animals.
Mixture of dissolved animal tallow and ashes was washed down by rain and carried to Tiber river where it got mixed with clay. Women who washed clothes there notices that clothes is much cleaner when they wash it with this clay.
Mild soap was later produced from mixture of oils, animal fats and beech ash. This soap was widely used until the 19th century.
Soap production as a manufacture started in Europe as early as in 7th century. These manufactures used mixture of herbal and animal oils and ashes, complemented with various essence oils for nicer smell.
Soap became popular all over the south Europe in 8th century. It was produced in Marseille, France, and in Italy: Genova, Venice, Savon, where they had enough of necessary ingredients: stone soda, olive oil and other ingredients.
I have decided to follow old traditions and make soap using the best natural ingredients: olive oil, almond oil and pure essence oils for this divine smell.
There are many different options depending on individual needs. For sensitive or damaged skin, there is lavender soap with honey and goat's milk. To effectively battle cellulite, there is soap with coffee and cinnamon.
Visit my store or simply contact me to find out what can be made to satisfy your particular needs

Creativity blossoming!

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Scott Adams

Just recently I have discovered that there are some really interesting ways to allow your creativity to blossom. Searching online I have found out that people out there do some amazing things-real art!-with simple ingredients that are easily accessible and inexpensive.

This is the reason why I have decided to give it a go in a soap production that is eco-friendly, all-natural and great for any skin type.

When you just search for it, you can find some really simple and bullet-proof ways how to make natural soap. As said, there are numerous variations to a basic recipe, which means that one can create different types of soap, with different ingredients that will fulfill different needs. Depending on your skin type, I have found out that I can create home-made, all-natural soap for oily skin, dry skin, natural skin; soap for hydration, soap that will effectively combat cellulite, or a soap that will simply pamper you and enable you to relax. And lets not forget zesty lemon soap that will enable you to get amazing energy boost during first morning shower!

It feels so great to be able to do something with your own hands, with ingredients that are natural and eco-friendly, and that combined together create a product that is great for someone's individual needs.

This is my etsy shop Divine bits and pieces where you can see one example of my creativity experiment :) and here is other one, where you can actually see few more.

Hope you are going to like it!

Next time I am going to write more about creative production process.