I'm a "starving" artist by trade... I do Detailed Handpainted Botanical Pottery... Specializing in "Washington Wildflowers"... I also paint Custom Wall Murals & Handpainted (Fired) Tiles for Installation in people's kitchen & baths. I taught painting classes for beginners for many years, but had to stop several years ago when I moved to far away from my customer base. I sell & advertise my wares mostly at Saturday Art-Markets so my time working ends up being somewhat seasonal, which means I need to be extra thrifty during the winter months... That's the "off season" & it gives me time to sew, make jewelry & do other crafts. I also enjoy reading about other cultures throughout history. When I work (painting), that's ALL I DO... Day & Night from April thru Dec! Even though I'm in my early 50's, I'm kind of the "old-hippy" type of gal with my hair worn in long braids.... (Yes, way back when, I DID live in a school bus!) I enjoy all kinds of people, & am especially fond of people with open minds. "Free thinkers" I like to call them...
I'm a follower of the of Jesus & His teaching. I do my best to help people whenever I can & I believe it's important to try to understand others & to try not to judge others on the first glance... You never know, someone dressed in rags, standing on the corner asking for spare change, may be the sweetest person on earth! The motto I TRY to live by: "Treat others as you'd like to be treated". I also believe that life is short, so don't let the little things get to you...My motto: LIVE HAPPILY, LEARN as much as you can, LOVE OTHERS (& try not to judge) & ENJOY EVERY MINUTE of LIFE!
1) First, go to Walmart or any Fabric Store & buy a bottle of Fabri-Tac brand of fabric glue ($5). It's the brand in a clear bottle!
2) Next: Cut a tiny piece of the microfiber from underneath the couch or from an unneeded pillow of from the back of the couch. This tiny patch of microfiber needs to be about one quarter of an inch larger than the hole in the couch.
3) Cut a piece of another medium weight fabric the same size as the piece of the microfiber that you cut from under the couch & glue the tiny piece of microfiber to this fabric (to stiffen it)
4) Do a test-run to make sure this piece fits before glueing by slipping it inside of the hole. If it fits correctly place a tiny dab of fabri-tac fabric glue into the hole & slip the patch inside of the hole with tweezers or tiny jewelry needle-nose pliers.
5) Apply a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper to the patched area (so the weight won't stick to the patch). Next, put a weight (like a heavy book or two) on the patch for several hours until the glue dries.
* Fabri-Tac is made for fabric & will not dry stiff. Only buy this brand, it's the best!
** If you cut the piece of microfiber from a sofa pillow, cut from the edge & not the middle. This way you can make the pillow just a little smaller by stitching a new seam.
To remove the burned edges you'll have to cut these off with tiny manicure scissors, but it's better to leave the burned edge on so the couch fabric won't run or fray. ... View related article.
The people you need to be especially careful of are the ones that go door to door. In Seattle/Tacoma we've recently had problems with people taking advantage of the Homeless by getting them to go door to door collecting funds for bogus charities. Sometimes they sell subscriptions & the family that orders & pays for them never receive the magazines. Many of these "door to door" people prefer cash to checks.
If it's a local charity, call or go online to your states Attorney General's office or the Better Business Bureau. If it's a Christian Charity, all of the good ones join a special organization that's independent & looks at their books each year & makes public just how much of the money actually goes back to the charity. Avoid the people that call on the phone for the Police & Firefighters fundraisers because the fundraisers get nearly 80 percent of the funds while the firefighters get only 20 % or less. These guys are professional fundraisers, hired to make money & paid a very high percentage of the money collected.
You are much better off just sending your money directly to a Police or Firefighters charity & not though the professional fundraisers. A good charity will have at least 80% if not more of the money raised will go back into the actual charity & less than 20 % on advertising! Back during the 1980's I used to donate on a regular basis to "Christian Aid for Romania" & over 95% of the money went to helping the poor in Romania because all of the work was done by volunteers. The only money spent, was in buying bulk food (which the volunteers put into smaller individual packages) & shipping the food over-seas.
Any good Charity will offer you a way to look at their books. Just ask "How much money goes to the cause" & Can you verify this? They will have a quick way to verify that they are indeed a Charity on the "up & up"... & this should be verified by an independent organization. Also, don't forget, if it's in your state you can always call your state Attorney General or the BBB. ... View related article.
There's no need to ever cut vegetables for soup! I have a super-quick & easy way to make a wonderful homemade vegetable or minestrone soup. The soup starts with 2 different types of packages of frozen stir-fry veggies. (They are already cut to the proper size in the package so this saves you tons of time!) buy the cheapest brand. Add the veggies to 1 large can of V-8 juice in the huge 46 ounce size (I use a cheapest store-brand) as the vegetarian broth for my soup adding only a can of kidney beans & spices like garlic powder & onion powder,
If you'd like you can also add a teaspoon of chicken or beef bullion to the soup along with a dash of soy sauce. Do not add salt until the very end or you might over-salt! You'll also need several cups of water. Just dump the 2 bags of frozen veggies into the V-8 juice, add seasoning & a can of beans, if you want the soup to go further add some tiny noodles like alphabet noodles.
"Instant" Homemade Veggie Soup:
2 bags of different frozen stir-fri veggies 1 large 48 oz can of V-8 juice onion & garlic powder 1 or 2 cans of any kind of beans (optional) soy sauce (optional) chicken or beef bullion (optional) 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (optional) water to thin soup
Bring soup to boil & simmer for 20 min.
This soup is great with a crusty bread dipped into it & with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream dropped on top or with a bit of cheddar cheese shredded on top.
Fast, easy and yummy!
I make this large batch of soup for myself. After cooking, I let the soup cool then pour 1 cup each into zip-lock bags. I remove the air from the bags then lay them flat & stack them in the freezer to microwave at a later date. Simply place soup in a small bowl, then microwave for 1 minute, the soup will start to defrost. Then remove the soup from the baggie & return to microwave until hot. The soup will last for 3 months in the freezer. ... View related article.
Use the original Amber-colored Listerine. Put it in a spray bottle & spray on people, blankets, clothing, decking & lawns. Great for parties or hiking. Listerine can last for up to 2 days on decking if it does not rain. You can use a plant sprayer to spray on large areas or a tiny spray bottle for small areas. Do NOT use the other flavors like Mint or Orange because they have a sweetener in them, use only the original Amber Listerine. It's the Menthol & the Eucalyptus that makes Listerine work & keep mosquitoes away. ... View related article.
For kids & pets, you need to give them the treatment the vet or doctor prescribes. But for adult humans you can first try eating lots of Cayenne & other hot peppers in & on your food before going the way of the drugs. The worms hate hot pepper for obvious reasons. That's one reason why you'll see people that live in high parasite areas (like Thailand, Southeast Asia, India & south America) eating lots of hot & spicy things. Hot peppers can really bother your stomach so make sure that you eat it with food. Cayenne is a mild stimulant, so don't take it right before bed time!
My kids pediatrician volunteered in Thailand & he said that over two-thirds of the people that live there have parasites (like worms)! *Yikes!* My vet said that tape worms can be contagious. Don't let pets up on your kitchen counters where your food is prepared! ... View related article.
Try this: http://www.orangeguard.com/ Orange Guard is a new bug spray that's made from orange peals & is safe enough to use in the kitchen & around babies & children.
They won't leave on their own. There are also some products made with Boric Acid that the roach or beetle walks on. The Boric Acid powder then gets into their shell & dehydrates them & this kills the nasty little buggers. I'm sure you can find more details on line. (*Boric Acid is a Laundry additive, sold with the other laundry products at Walmart) ... View related article.
When I'm doing crafts, I use Rubbing Alcohol. If you worried about your floor, you should dab it on with a Q-tip & let sit a minute. As a second, stronger option, have you tried Fingernail Polish Remover? If you already have, make sure it was the kind that's not made for artificial nails! The "Regular" type is stronger.
When I worked for Boeing, they used Ketone to remove permanent marker & a whole host of things. You buy it at the hardware store. & use with an open window! ... View related article.
Use "Infallible" by L'Oreal. It will not budge! I guarantee it won't rub off! When buying the product, look at the other L'Oreal "true-match" shades of make-up & use these to gauge what color you'll need. True-Match comes in the same colors as the Infallible does. Otherwise buy the Infallible 2 shades lighter than it looks in the bottle because it darkens up a bit when it sets on your skin. No color worries, all chain drug stores (like Wallgreens, Rite-Aid & Longs, etc.) will return the opened make-up with no questions asked. You can then exchange it for another color if the first one doesn't work. ... View related article.
It depends on exactly what herbs or feeds are used & if they are in oil or vinegar. Some store-bought products as only for display. But the ones made for consumption that are professionally bottled & sealed will last about a year or so, until the are opened. Once opened, they need too be refrigerated & will last 2 to 3 weeks. If you make them yourself, they need to be refrigerated once the oil & herbs (or oil & garlic, etc) meet & will stay safe to use for only a few weeks. Vinegar with herbs (or garlic, etc) will last a longer than the fancy oils, but Refrigeration is still VERY important!
Shelf life is super important with these items because you can get food poisoning (botulism) if you're not careful.
Read Below (info from the internet):
Commercial garlic-in-oil mixtures are acidified to prevent bacterial growth. Most of these store-bought products can be stored safely at room temperature look for storage instructions on the label.
Unfortunately, do-it-yourself acidification of homemade herb or vegetables-in-oil mixtures is risky because not enough research has been conducted to know how much acid is needed to prevent bacterial growth. These low-acid foods can be a source of Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that causes botulism, a cause of fatal food poisoning. Because these bacteria are found naturally in soil, water and air, they could be found in any low-acid food and begin to grow and produce toxin when the conditions are right. That's why it is crucial to keep food safety in mind when storing your own low-acid vegetables, such as garlic, mushrooms and chili peppers or herbs in oil.
Take the following steps to ensure food safety when making and using your own homemade herb, vegetables and garlic-in-oil mixtures:
-Refrigerate fresh vegetables or garlic-in-oil mixtures, and don't keep them any longer than three weeks. After three weeks of refrigeration, botulinam toxin could have formed. Remove the vegetables after flavoring the oil, and the bacteria will not have a food source for growth.
-Use dried vegetables, garlic or herbs to flavor oil. These do not contain enough water to foster bacterial growth. Dried vegetables, garlic or herbs-in-oil mixtures can be stored safely at room temperature. Refrigeration may delay rancidity.
-Tomatoes-in-oil mixtures are safe, as tomatoes are high in acid and will not foster botulism-causing bacterial growth. Refrigeration may delay rancidity.
-Don't use vegetables-in-oil mixtures that show any signs of spoilage, such as bubbling or cloudiness.
For more information about making holiday gifts, visit OSU Extension's Lane County office Master Food Preserver Web site at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/food-preservation/index.php or call the OSU Food Preservation/Safety hot line, open through Oct. 1. OSU faculty and trained volunteers staff the hot line at (800)354-7319 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays (except holidays).
In addition, the OSU Extension Service offers many food-preservation publications online or in print. Visit the online catalog at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog or call (800)561-6719 to request a printed catalog.
More Information (from Canadian food inspection agency):
