Long Distant Drinking with Friends or DIY Coffee Mugs

Written by: Grace

Does it not royally whomp when a good friend moves away?

A very good friend of mine moved at the beginning of the summer, and I couldn’t help feeling like Red from The Shawshank Redemption. Despite the obvious similarities that Red and I both share (our magical voices for one), the most striking was when we were both working in a field and narrating our sadness with the same words: “I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend.”

Okay, so maybe,I am not in prison, and I was not working in a field and narrating my friend’s absence like Red, but we both do have wonderfully soothing voices (I mean I do, I can’t speak for Mr. Freeman … His voice is alright, I guess) and we both miss our friends.

I digress. Bottom line: Just like Red, I do miss my friend, but I am happy for her. I think that is the way with all of us who have friends who move away. We are sad and lonely for selfish reasons, but find joy in the joy our friend is experiencing.

This experience with change and distance becomes quite real to a lot of youngins’ in August when their childhood and high school pals move on to college. It’s sad, exciting, and new. I get their mixed feelings.

To cope with the change, we make gifts and tokens to remind the person moving: “Hey, remember me!”

A high school graduate and friend of mine and I made our “Hey! Remember Mes!” in the form of coffee mugs.

We had seen these DIY Coffee Mugs all over Pinterest. My friend Bailey and Nicole made some beautiful ones a while back. And most recently, Rona posted a tutorial on DIY Sharpie Coffee Mugs.

We did not use Sharpies on our mugs, instead we used oil-based paint markers. We found the color to be more intense, and we hope that the designs last longer as a result.

However, the curing process for both Oil-based paint markers or glass markers are the same as Rona’s instructions here.

By the way, we got our mugs at The Dollar Tree! Here’s the link to buy the ones we used.

Check out our cute variations on long distance friendship mugs!

DIY Coffee Mug #1

“Life’s truest happiness is found in the friendships we make along the way.”

DIY Coffee Mug #2

“Best Friends Forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart”

Like Rona said, personalized mugs make sweet little gifts!

04
Aug
2014

Baby Eczema R and D

Written by: Rona

We’ve been dealing with L’s eczema since she was just a few months old. It definitely has drastically improved , but we are still battling flare-ups and daily scratching fits. Along the way we have tried many products and homeopathic remedies. We have finally arrived at a skin moisturizing regiment that works for L. Today, I’m sharing with you our trial and errors in the adventures of treating baby eczema.

Lotions and Creams

Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy and
BabyGanics Moisturizing Baby Eczema Cream-The prices of these two creams are on the lower end of eczema products and both have decent reviews online. My biggest complaint is both products have an artificial fragrance which can irritate sensitive skin like L’s (BabyGanics now offers a fragrance free eczema cream). The consistency of the Aveeno cream more of a lotion than cream. The BabyGanics is considerably thicker. Both were easily absorbed by the skin, but neither kept L moist for long. We stopped using them after a short while because they seemed to made things worse probably due to the fragrance irritants.
California Baby Calendula Cream-This brand is expensive, but it is all natural and organic. The consistency is more of a lotion. We noticed an improvement soon after we started the product, but once the cold/dry weather came, the lotion consistency just didn’t keep L’s skin moist enough. We had to constantly reapply which was also costly. California baby also has an eczema cream; we didn’t try this because the ingredients were very similar to the calendula cream.
Weleda Baby Calendula Cream-This is a slightly cheaper alternative to the California Baby calendula cream. It is also natural and organic. I love the hand cream by this brand, but the eczema cream fell short. It made things worse for L.
Yoreganics Bye Bye Dry Balm- Grace loves this stuff, and it has worked well for both of her boys. I like the convenience of a stick for easy application but not practical for whole body use considering the quantity and price. I use it to spot treat and on L’s face. The company does send nice samples with purchase.
Homemade Baby Butter-I followed Grace’s tutorial. This stuff smelled so good, I wanted to eat it! I like knowing exactly what went into the product we are using on L. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to help with her eczema. My husband I are still using it, though.
CJ’s Butter- This is another all natural and organic option. I like the thick consistency for winter. We didn’t notice any immediate results, but it also didn’t make things worse. I have it in the diaper bag for on the go application. It also works great as a diaper cream. It’s a cheaper alternative to Cheeky Baby Butter (similar ingredients).
SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Baby Eczema Therapy-The price is middle of the road. It does have a strong fragrance, maybe it’s the shea butter, but I didn’t like it. The consistency is of a body butter, a bit hard to spread. L had several flare ups after we started to use this product.
Aquaphor-We use this religiously on L to seal in the moisture. It’s basically Vaseline for babies. It is greasy and will coat clothes and inside of the washer. It works really well in keeping her skin moist especially during those dry winter months.
Cheeky Baby Butter- by far the most expensive product we’ve tried. This stuff is thick so a little goes a long way. You do need to warm it up in your hands before applying. The product is all natural and organic. We added it to our daily routine recently for problem spots. It has made L’s skin very soft and smooth. I say it’s worth the money.

Body Wash

Aveeno Baby Moisturizing Wash
Cetaphil
Earth’s Best baby Shampoo and Body Wash-All three products had great reviews online, but they all dried out L’s skin. Maybe because we were bathing her too often (once a day). We now bathe her every other day with a sponge bath on non-bath day.
Dove White Soap-I read a lot of recommendations for Dove white soap for eczema. It has a strong scent so I knew it wasn’t going to work for L. As predicted it dried her out.
California Baby Sensitive Skin Body Wash-We are currently using this product. I don’t think it has helped her skin but also hasn’t dried her out. This brand also has a eczema body wash we have not tried.

Oils

Coconut Oil-I like that it kept things moist for a while but unfortunately it gave her flare ups.
Lavender Oil-We dilute a few drops with olive oil, and use it when she’s really dry.
Tea Tree Oil-We put a drop or two in a small amount of water to treat flare ups and inflamed patches. It does burn a little if the scratches have broken skin.The antimicrobial properties of the oil help to kill bacteria and prevent infections.

Other Shenanigans

Watermelon Rind-Apparently it has a cooling effect when rubbed on skin. L seemed to enjoy being rubbed with the cold rind, but it didn’t really help her skin.
Potato-Another crazy thing I found on the internet. Something about the starch, not sure if it’s helping, but it hasn’t made things worse. We’re still testing it out.
Corn Starch-We sprinkled a generous amount in the bath but didn’t see any improvements. We may go back to it for further testing.
Hazle Wood Necklace-Out of desperation we bought one to try. There are so many reviews saying that child’s eczema cleared within days. I had high hopes, but it didn’t work for L. Cute necklace though.
Raw Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar-We pour a cup into her bath water. This stuff doesn’t smell great but it has helped with the itchiness, redness, inflamed patches and flare ups.
Homemade Scratch Guard-I sewed L scratching guards to wear while she’s sleeping and during scratching fits. It prevents her scratching from causing damage to her skin. She has full arm and hand function with this device.

baby mugshot

Wow that’s a long list! I hope someone will find this helpful. Keep in mind that just because the product didn’t work for L doesn’t mean that it won’t work for your baby. If you have any product or remedy suggestions for eczema please share it with me.

01
Aug
2014

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Baseball Wreath

Written by: Grace

I love a good wreath. and “If you don’t know, now you know,…. ” ( please read/sing this to the tune of “Juicy”).

And if you saw my You’re a Grand Ole Flag Mantel, you know that I have a thing for anything patriotic. To me, baseball is pretty patriotic. After all, it is America’s Pastime. So, an easy baseball wreath is right up my patriotic wreath-lovin’ alley.

There are some other tutorials on how to make a baseball wreath, but almost all of them suggest drilling holes in the balls, and using a wire hanger. I decided this was not a viable option because the wire will eventually sag, and the wreath will, too.

This one’s a pretty easy wreath to replicate, but you are going to need a whole lot of glue to make this one.

Here’s what you’ll need:

- Baseballs (I used 11)

- Burlap from http://www.burlapfabric.com

-Gorilla Glue, hot glue, or caulk (clear)

- 12 inch Wire Wreath Frame– You can get one here

- Ribbon of your choice baseball team/color

- Baseball hat (optional)

Here’s what you’ll do:

- Glue the baseballs to the wire frame. The wreath form has a “cupped” side (like a channel) and a flat side. You want to place the balls in the cupped/channel side (basically, the wreath form side that will hold the balls). I found it helpful to first secure the baseballs to the form with hot glue, and then flip the wreath over with the wire facing up, and fortify it with Gorilla Glue. hot glue, or Caulk. Don’t be shy with the adhesive, and don’t worry what it looks like because no one will see the back of the wreath.

- Wrap burlap around the wreath- I wanted my burlap to be a little rustic, so I used scraps and pulled some strands out, so it would fray a bit. The burlap also helps hide the wreath form while securing the balls a bit more.