HEALTH & BEAUTY: Spruce Up Your Beauty Care

It’s the start of a new year. A time for resolutions. For 2015 to be an even better year.

The holidays have come and gone, and we’re starting off the new year by decluttering. Getting out from under the pile of boxes and mail that we set aside these past several months. Being organized contributes to our overall health and well being. And, this applies to our beauty routines as well. This means, cleansing our medicine cabinets of beauty care products that are toxic, have expired or gone rancid. Old and expired products may no longer be as effective and bacteria can build up that can lead to infections and breakouts.

Here are a few tips to organize and spruce up your beauty care:

• Be cautious of products that include parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances and artificial colors that can be harmful to the body. Rid your cabinets of products that contain these toxic ingredients.
• Use the “sniff” test to help determine whether products should be replaced. If it smells bad, toss it.
• Discard expired products. Cosmetic and beauty care products that are over a year old or have passed their expiration dates should be thrown away. This includes sunscreen, mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, moisturizer, etc.
• Clean your makeup brushes and applicators. Use a gentle cleanser to avoid drying the bristles and let the applicators dry thoroughly before using.
• Use bins to organize your makeup and beauty care products. If you have plastic storage containers or zip loc bags, those work too.

Take some time to cleanse and organize your beauty cabinets. Your body will thank you for it.

We wish you a wonderful and healthy 2015!

published by Susan Ng | www.NaturallySusans.com | www.NaturallySusans.Etsy.com

Nostalgic Toys ~ Toy Rifles

Like most, I am a fan of the movie, The Christmas Story.  Since 1997, a A Christmas Story marathon has aired on either TNT or TBS, comprising twelve consecutive airings of the film and beginning at 8 pm on Christmas Eve.  I watch the movie every year at least twice. Watching it this year got me thinking about how excited Ralphie was to get his Red Ryder BB gun and how innocent it all was.  Even when he imagined chasing down the would-be robbers the outcome was comical; he shot them down dead resulting in X marks on their eyes and tongues sticking out.  

It was naive and innocent child's play.  And I can honestly say that as a child, this is exactly how my friends and I would play Cops & Robbers or Cowboys & Indians.  Nowadays, thanks to modern television and politically correctness, playing with toy guns is imagined in a child's mind as gory and anything but innocent.  As a result, the fun is gone....but with the following images, the good memories aren't.  

Holiday Crafts

Though it can be difficult to find time for crafting during the busiest time of the year, I do love holiday crafts and keep a Pinterest board chalk full of ideas so that when I am ready, I know where to go to find inspiration!  Last year, my craft of choice was this burlap owl ornament.  Even today, a year later, it continues to be one of my most pinned items on Pinterest!

Pin It HERE

This year, my inspiration is the December issue of Better Homes & Garden.  Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

 Scarf Wreath

Do you have an old wool scarf lying around?  Give it a new purpose as holiday décor – no knitting required!  With the help of a glue gun, ribbon and greenery – this is a fun & fast holiday craft you can easily complete in an afternoon.

Pin it HERE

Use paper and craft scraps to make unique gift-wrap accents

Pin it HERE

To make this, simply take cupcake liners in different sizes and colors, layer them one on top of the other, starting with the largest at the base.  Secure each layer with glue.  Cut “petals” into the outer most layers.

Colorful Pinecones

Pin it HERE

Take ordinary pinecones up a notch my dipping them in paint!  Dilute acrylic or any craft paint with a little water. Dip the pinecones until coated.  Let dry on wax paper.  Repeat the process if you want deeper color.

For more fun, holiday craft ideas, check out my Fun Craft Ideas Pinterest board!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Posted by:  Rekha Krishnamurthi | ETSY Shop:  DivineNYCo | www.divineny.com

The Cavalcade Has Arrived!

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
― Winston S. Churchill

When:  Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, 2014
Where: Chelsea Market, 9th Ave between W. 15th and W. 16th, Manhattan
Hours:  10a - 8pSubway: A, C or E train to W. 14th Street station

First 100 through the door each day will receive a free goody bag!

The 7th Annual Holiday Handmade Cavalcade is almost here! 60+ vendors from the Etsy NY Street Team will be presenting a vast collection of locally made, handcrafted goods, including great clothes, jewelry, paper goods and body products, as well as a fantastic selection of kid stuff and eco-friendly housewares too!

And we’ve got our awesome sponsors to thank for making it happen. The cool creatives at Swap-bot and Funky Finds join Purl Soho, who has graced our goody bags again this year with some of their luscious yarn. Diana, from MakeWorkshop, will be there offering amazing coupons for studio time, and Kiva Zip will be on hand to answer questions about how microfinance can change lives around the world.

Pinterest will also be there - giving out some cool T-shirts! 

As if that weren’t enough, Etsy, the online marketplace for all things handmade, is sponsoring a free gift wrap station, while Legally Addictive Foods and Vienna Cookie Company (who’ve also donated to our goody bags!), will be providing some fantastic bites as well as great gift packages.

This is an amazing amount of good stuff. With such blessings, let’s not forget those who are struggling. For them, we’ll be accepting any gently used coats for the New York Cares 26th Annual Coat Drive.

So, come give and receive, as well as support real people - who make things!

Admission to this event is free. For more information, visit www.handmadecavalcade.com.

Melissa Hile, Prairiefunk

What to Get Your Grandma for Christmas

If your Grandma is anything like my Grandma, then she is the most adorable lady in the world.

My Grandma is a sweet and funny ninety-year-old woman who likes her port wine, is a first-generation American and climbed the stairs at Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam at age 82 (when she was “young”). Yeah, she’s pretty cool. And having just spent Thanksgiving with her in Portland, she, as most Grandmas, made it abundantly clear she wants nothing for Christmas. “I’m ninety, why would I want anything?” she asked.

But when your Grandma says she wants nothing, you know what she really means is, "Yes, I want a gift! What are you crazy? It's Christmas!" So I set out to Etsy to find gifts for Grandma and then realized anyone who needs to find a gift for their Grandma could use a little help at this crazy, wonderful time of year.

Side note: Not only are all of these Etsy sellers talented, they’re also local, so who doesn’t love supporting your community while making your Grandma happy? If we could get unicorns involved, the universe might explode from perfection overload.

Cookies For Grandma:

My Grandma has a sweet tooth, so on Etsy I went to my favorite food group: cookies. The great thing about these bakers is that they ship fresh, delicious cookies to your Grandma wherever she lives (they’ll send their goods to anyone, but we’re focused on Grandmas today). And if you can’t be with your Grandma to eat cookies on Christmas, then at least Skype your Grandma as she eats some of these yummy cookies.

GingerBread Goodies Cookies by DJarsByDaniJardim

If you want to make cookies with your Grandma, but don’t want to schlep to the store for all of those ingredients, then try Gingerbread Goodies Cookies. DJarsByDaniJardim does all of the heavy lifting for you as each Mason jar comes with a cookie base with Gingerbread Man cookies, red and green candy coated chocolate gems and Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips. Just add butter, eggs, vanilla and you are ten minutes away from eating warm, delicious cookies. I shouldn’t write about food while I’m hungry…how good does that cookie jar look? But back to Grandma, she will love these delicious cookies, especially if baking with you.

Holiday Cookie Gift Box by BrittanysBiscuits

I also love BrittanysBiscuits’s Holiday Cookie Gift Box because it comes with four different types of Christmas cookies: Sugar Cookies, Red Velvet Goldmines, Spiced Hot Chocolate S’mores Cookies and Peppermint Pattycakes (each box contains a dozen). So even if you’re not sure of your Grandma’s favorite cookie, or if she has a sweet tooth that needs more than one kind, you’re covered.

Scarves/Hats for Grandma:

While I would love nothing more than to send Grandma a handmade scarf from me, the likelihood of me learning how to knit between now and Christmas isn't looking good. But for those of you who want to delight your Grandma while keeping her warm, the next best things is a handmade scarf from a talented Etsy knitter.

Infinity Scarf by MadeByKehlee

So I was so excited to find MadeByKehlee’s infinity scarves because if I could knit or crochet, ahem, when I learn how to knit and crochet, these are the kinds of scarves I want to make. They’re made from 50% Acrylic and 50% Wool Blend so they’re soft and warm, and will keep your Grandma cozy. 

Pattern by tarcie

For those of you who have the opportunity to learn to crochet from your Grandma, tarcie offers instant downloads of patterns for hats and scarves. This is an especially sweet gift idea to give to a crocheting Grandma. It’s also an awesome last minute gift idea that’s five dollars and leap frogs you over your siblings as favorite grandchild of the year.

Personalized Gifts for Grandma:

I haven’t learned how to knit or crochet just yet because I just can’t seem to find the time, which is why I also haven’t made a personalized gift for Grandma, but Etsy sellers not only have the time, they do personalized gifts really, really well.

Personalized Collage by PrintsCharmingFrames

PrintsCharmingFrames can make an original, personalized collage for your Grandma.  So if you have a particular nickname for your Grandma that you’d like to include, or all the names of her grandchildren, or your favorite things to do together, PrintsCharmingFrames can make it happen.

Family Tree Necklace from NYmetals 

Another great gift idea for your Grandma, especially new Grandmas, is this family tree necklace with the initials of her grandchildren from NYmetals. If you want to just send it from you, NYmetals has many single initial necklace options for your Grandma as well.

So there you have it, your Grandma’s gift is all set…now let’s get back to those cookies. 

Update: Thanks to our reader Sharmeen for letting me know that both examples are of crocheting, not knitting! I've got a long way to go in my knitting/crocheting education...

By Kate Davey

HEALTH & BEAUTY: Beauty Care Gifts for Him and for Her

View fullsize

We're all guilty of it. Guilty of holiday-shopping procrastination. We wait until the very last minute and fight the crowds to get through our holiday wish list. 

Well, if beauty care products are on your gift list, we've got you covered. We previously conducted a survey * that offered us some insights into the ideal beauty care gifts for Her and for Him. 

Here's what our survey participants said:

Gifts for Her: 

• Gift Cards
• Facial Moisturizers
• Packaged Assortments

Gifts for Him:

• Cologne
• Aftershave lotion
• Gift Cards

We hope this helps you get through your check list! And, we wish you a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

Susan Ng / www.NaturallySusans.Etsy.com / www.NaturallySusans.com

* unscientific survey