Monday, October 11, 2021
Monday, November 2, 2015
Rice Hand Warmers
Do you ever get started on a project and then kind of fizzle out? I do constantly. And then sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll find a half finished project and find the spark to finish.
Today is one of those projects. I started these in the middle of last Winter and now with the cold weather quickly approaching (what am I saying? It's already here!) I saw these little felt pieces and decided to finish. And I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to finish! Pretty sure I was done in under 10 minutes. :)
These are a cute simple gift to give as well! (Act surprised if you get these from me!)
Supplies:
One 8x11" piece of felt
Embroidery floss
About 3/4 cup uncooked rice (Not minute/instant rice)
Big Shot and cutting dies OR scissors to cut shapes free hand
I used my Big Shot to cut out my felt pieces and embroidery floss to attach everything. I'm not a big fan of the smell of dry rice when it's heated in the microwave, so I added a drop or so of peppermint essential oil to help. Then I get the benefits of the peppermint oil every time I heat them up! It's a win-win in my book!
I struggled cutting the felt with my Big Shot until I found a tutorial via Pinterest.
Using the tutorial on how to cut felt with the Big Shot I cut out four identical scalloped circles and a few decorative pieces.
You could easily cut these out by hand, but I'm not a great circle cutter, plus I'm enjoying figuring out new ways to use my Big Shot.
Don't have felt and don't feel like running to the store? Cut your fabric from a pair of old flannel pjs!
Once you have your four pieces cut out use embroidery floss to stitch two pieces together. I used 3 strands of the floss, but you could probably just double up regular thread.
You want your pieces with right side out. (It was easier for me to do it this way, but if you want, you can put wrong side out stitch 3/4 of the way and then turn inside out to hide your stitches.)
I used a basic stitch, taking care to make my stitches small enough that the rice wouldn't slip through.
*If your felt is cut into a circle I would recommend a whip stitch or a blanket stitch.
Once you're about 3/4 of the way around fill with rice. I don't have a funnel, so I just rolled a piece of paper and poured the rice through my paper funnel.
I filled mine about half way and then added a drop of my peppermint essential oil. (Lavender oil would be fabulous too.) *update - I only added a drop and after first use haven't been able to smell the oil at all. You will need to add more, however I'm not sure how long the scent will last.
Finish filling with rice.
I made mine pretty full, thinking the more rice the longer it would stay warm, however I don't know if my logic is accurate or not. You can always test to see how full you want it by carefully (you don't want to spill rice everywhere like I did when I turned mine upside down) placing it in the palm of your hand.
Finish sewing it closed.
Because I did a basic stitch leaving a small edge I was able to put my needle through one layer and then make a knot between the two layers to hide my knot a little.
In summary I used one piece of $0.20 felt, some embroidery floss and dry uncooked rice that I had on hand. Even if you do have to buy all the supplies it's still a very cheap (and easy) project, especially if you consider the price of those one time use hand warmers you buy at the store.
To use simply pop these bad guys in the microwave for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave and slip them in your pockets as you walk out the door. The length of time they stay warm all depends on the amount of rice you use, the thickness of your felt, etc,etc.
If you're anything like me, these little guys will help you get out the door on those wicked cold days.
What do you do to stay warm and help motivate yourself to get out the door on super cold days?
Today is one of those projects. I started these in the middle of last Winter and now with the cold weather quickly approaching (what am I saying? It's already here!) I saw these little felt pieces and decided to finish. And I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to finish! Pretty sure I was done in under 10 minutes. :)
These are a cute simple gift to give as well! (Act surprised if you get these from me!)
Supplies:
One 8x11" piece of felt
Embroidery floss
About 3/4 cup uncooked rice (Not minute/instant rice)
Big Shot and cutting dies OR scissors to cut shapes free hand
I used my Big Shot to cut out my felt pieces and embroidery floss to attach everything. I'm not a big fan of the smell of dry rice when it's heated in the microwave, so I added a drop or so of peppermint essential oil to help. Then I get the benefits of the peppermint oil every time I heat them up! It's a win-win in my book!
I struggled cutting the felt with my Big Shot until I found a tutorial via Pinterest.
Using the tutorial on how to cut felt with the Big Shot I cut out four identical scalloped circles and a few decorative pieces.
You could easily cut these out by hand, but I'm not a great circle cutter, plus I'm enjoying figuring out new ways to use my Big Shot.
Don't have felt and don't feel like running to the store? Cut your fabric from a pair of old flannel pjs!
Once you have your four pieces cut out use embroidery floss to stitch two pieces together. I used 3 strands of the floss, but you could probably just double up regular thread.
You want your pieces with right side out. (It was easier for me to do it this way, but if you want, you can put wrong side out stitch 3/4 of the way and then turn inside out to hide your stitches.)
I used a basic stitch, taking care to make my stitches small enough that the rice wouldn't slip through.
*If your felt is cut into a circle I would recommend a whip stitch or a blanket stitch.
Once you're about 3/4 of the way around fill with rice. I don't have a funnel, so I just rolled a piece of paper and poured the rice through my paper funnel.
I filled mine about half way and then added a drop of my peppermint essential oil. (Lavender oil would be fabulous too.) *update - I only added a drop and after first use haven't been able to smell the oil at all. You will need to add more, however I'm not sure how long the scent will last.
Finish filling with rice.
I made mine pretty full, thinking the more rice the longer it would stay warm, however I don't know if my logic is accurate or not. You can always test to see how full you want it by carefully (you don't want to spill rice everywhere like I did when I turned mine upside down) placing it in the palm of your hand.
Finish sewing it closed.
Because I did a basic stitch leaving a small edge I was able to put my needle through one layer and then make a knot between the two layers to hide my knot a little.
In summary I used one piece of $0.20 felt, some embroidery floss and dry uncooked rice that I had on hand. Even if you do have to buy all the supplies it's still a very cheap (and easy) project, especially if you consider the price of those one time use hand warmers you buy at the store.
To use simply pop these bad guys in the microwave for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave and slip them in your pockets as you walk out the door. The length of time they stay warm all depends on the amount of rice you use, the thickness of your felt, etc,etc.
If you're anything like me, these little guys will help you get out the door on those wicked cold days.
What do you do to stay warm and help motivate yourself to get out the door on super cold days?
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Randoms candy
I recently joined Smiley360 to get free products in exchange for a review.
My first mission was for a candy I had never heard of. And if you know me...with my crazy sweet too, that's pretty crazy I didn't know about them.
They are Wonka Randoms! I received them for free through Smiley360.
These are so fun! Here are 3 different types of gummies and sooo many different shapes. You wouldn't believe how, well, random, the shapes are!
From trains, to snails, sunglasses, lighthouses, monkeys, flowers, snowflakes, popsicles, cellphones. You get my point! There are 70 different shapes. Every bag is different!
I can just imagine how fun these would be for kids to trade for their favorites. My favorite was a pineapple flavored unicorn! :)
I also really like the one kind of gummy that has a gel inside. MMmm! The texture is comparable to gummy bears, but the fun shapes make reaching into the bag more fun. Plus, it takes me a little longer to eat these because I'm looking at each different shape instead of dumping a handful of the same shaped gummy bears into my mouth.
I will be purchasing these after my free bag is gone. Go try some, you won't be disappointed! Get Random!
Interested in receiving free items for review? Check out Smiley360!
My first mission was for a candy I had never heard of. And if you know me...with my crazy sweet too, that's pretty crazy I didn't know about them.
They are Wonka Randoms! I received them for free through Smiley360.
From trains, to snails, sunglasses, lighthouses, monkeys, flowers, snowflakes, popsicles, cellphones. You get my point! There are 70 different shapes. Every bag is different!
I can just imagine how fun these would be for kids to trade for their favorites. My favorite was a pineapple flavored unicorn! :)
I also really like the one kind of gummy that has a gel inside. MMmm! The texture is comparable to gummy bears, but the fun shapes make reaching into the bag more fun. Plus, it takes me a little longer to eat these because I'm looking at each different shape instead of dumping a handful of the same shaped gummy bears into my mouth.
I will be purchasing these after my free bag is gone. Go try some, you won't be disappointed! Get Random!
Interested in receiving free items for review? Check out Smiley360!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Doctor Who Bleach T-shirts
Beginner Shred update: I was in need of my rest days. Unfortunately I also happened to get nasty sinus issues over my two day rest break as well. On my scheduled day 7 I was so stuffed up I could barely breath and I wasn't sleeping well at night either. So I didn't do the shred, instead I took a 1.5 mile walk outside where amazingly enough my sinuses cleared enough I could kind of breath!
So unfortunately I don't have a Beginner Shred review for you today, I will share with you my older brothers birthday present!
I found the idea on Pinterest and took plenty of time looking for the right stencils I wanted to use. You can easily search for stencils. I just typed "Dalek stencil" and "tardis stencil" and they came up with a ton of options. You can easily search for whatever pattern you like. The Dalek stencil came from Doodlecraft. My Tardis stencil came from Hodgepodge Crochet. I also used their great tutorial for the whole process, which I highly recommend.
I headed out and got freezer paper from the grocery store, it's in the same isle as plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and two plain t-shirts (washed and dried them before I did anything with them). Also you'll read in the link from Hodgepodge Crochet that different shirts will bleach different colors, if you're really picky you can test your shirt before completing the whole project.
A few notes of my own:
* I printed my tardis stencil at 50% because I wanted it smaller, you can adjust the size in your print settings when you go to print.
* I used graphite paper (transfer paper) to trace my pictures onto the freezer paper.
* Take your time and plan on giving yourself plenty of time time trace and cut, especially if you have a lot of fine details.
* I used a 4 ounce spray bottle and added about 2 oz of bleach and 2 oz of water. That is way too much. I probably could have easily used half of that and had plenty leftover after doing both shirts.
* a toothbrush works well for bigger spots. I dipped the toothbrush in the bleach/water mix and then flicked it once before flicking it on to the shirt because it left really big spot if I didn't do the first flick.
* make sure your shirt is flat when you are working on it. Anywhere there a folds in your shirt, that fabric won't be bleached.
* I was working on my back porch in really cold temps. I had a bucket of water and when I finished the first shirt I dunked it in the water where it sat until I finished the second shirt. I then took them inside and rinsed them in my bathtub. Making sure to really rinse out my bucket I then put the shirts back in and covered them with the white vinegar and took them back outside to sit. I used about a half gallon of vinegar for the two shirts.
It was really fun and I would recommend for anyone to try.
So unfortunately I don't have a Beginner Shred review for you today, I will share with you my older brothers birthday present!
 |
| Doctor Who Dalek |
I found the idea on Pinterest and took plenty of time looking for the right stencils I wanted to use. You can easily search for stencils. I just typed "Dalek stencil" and "tardis stencil" and they came up with a ton of options. You can easily search for whatever pattern you like. The Dalek stencil came from Doodlecraft. My Tardis stencil came from Hodgepodge Crochet. I also used their great tutorial for the whole process, which I highly recommend.
 |
| The Tardis fading into space |
I headed out and got freezer paper from the grocery store, it's in the same isle as plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and two plain t-shirts (washed and dried them before I did anything with them). Also you'll read in the link from Hodgepodge Crochet that different shirts will bleach different colors, if you're really picky you can test your shirt before completing the whole project.
A few notes of my own:
* I printed my tardis stencil at 50% because I wanted it smaller, you can adjust the size in your print settings when you go to print.
* I used graphite paper (transfer paper) to trace my pictures onto the freezer paper.
* Take your time and plan on giving yourself plenty of time time trace and cut, especially if you have a lot of fine details.
* I used a 4 ounce spray bottle and added about 2 oz of bleach and 2 oz of water. That is way too much. I probably could have easily used half of that and had plenty leftover after doing both shirts.
* a toothbrush works well for bigger spots. I dipped the toothbrush in the bleach/water mix and then flicked it once before flicking it on to the shirt because it left really big spot if I didn't do the first flick.
* make sure your shirt is flat when you are working on it. Anywhere there a folds in your shirt, that fabric won't be bleached.
* I was working on my back porch in really cold temps. I had a bucket of water and when I finished the first shirt I dunked it in the water where it sat until I finished the second shirt. I then took them inside and rinsed them in my bathtub. Making sure to really rinse out my bucket I then put the shirts back in and covered them with the white vinegar and took them back outside to sit. I used about a half gallon of vinegar for the two shirts.
It was really fun and I would recommend for anyone to try.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Beginner Shred Days 5-6
Day 5
Oh boy! Talk about muscle fatigue! It was much warmer in the house today, so it made the workout seem even harder...blah. Kept up with the 5# weights again, still using the 2# for the anterior raise during the chair squats. I managed to do 15! push-ups today, for BOTH sets! I was so proud of myself. I'm sure I'll be feeling that tomorrow! Still taking breaks between exercises, I'm hoping come Monday after two days of rest I will be able to get through it with only one break. It's my goal anyway, hopefully I can achieve that! I won't move to level two until I can get through with only one break. I'm not going to be too strict with the whole ten days per level, because I don't care to make it through all three levels in 30 workouts, I want to be fit and proud of myself for conquering each level. So...one more day this week, thank goodness, because my body wants a break!!
Today, after exercising I was working on a birthday present for my older brother. I was tracing a picture with small lines and my arms were soooo tired from the exercise I was having difficulties keeping my lines smooth and straight. Needless to say I had a take a couple of breaks to rest my arms because my muscles were so tired!
***************
Day 6
I'm still working on my brother's birthday gift so today I decided to work on it before my workout since I was using an exacto knife to cut out the small pieces. I could still feel it in my arms though, but it went much easier than yesterday! I'll be posting a picture of my project after it's finished if you're curious what I've been working on! :)
Hot again today in the house (not outside for sure...only 20 degrees out there!). I could tell today that my body needs a rest day tomorrow. I am completing all of the exercises as I have been, but I'm just tired and my muscles aren't feeling like they're getting enough time to rest between days. I'm taking Sat and Sun off and will judge next week how I'm managing. I might end up doing Mon-Wed, rest Thurs, then do Fri-Sat, rest Sunday. That way my muscles have a little time to repair themselves and I get he most out of each exercise. Today my goal for push-ups was 16 the first set and 15 the second set. I almost made it, I got the 16 for the first set, but only 14 the second set. I'm still happy though! Especially considering at the beginning of the week I only did a total of 10 for both sets! Thinking about that makes me feel great! Two of my least favorite exercises happen to be at the very end of the DVD...the triceps dips and the squirms. Grrrrr! I dread both of those, but instead of just giving up on them because I dislike them, I'm trying really hard to focus on what I'm doing and do it as best I can so that some day maybe I won't dread them so much. Haha...kinda doubt that, but that's what I keep telling myself. Two rest days and then I'm back at it. Ahhh....rest!
Oh boy! Talk about muscle fatigue! It was much warmer in the house today, so it made the workout seem even harder...blah. Kept up with the 5# weights again, still using the 2# for the anterior raise during the chair squats. I managed to do 15! push-ups today, for BOTH sets! I was so proud of myself. I'm sure I'll be feeling that tomorrow! Still taking breaks between exercises, I'm hoping come Monday after two days of rest I will be able to get through it with only one break. It's my goal anyway, hopefully I can achieve that! I won't move to level two until I can get through with only one break. I'm not going to be too strict with the whole ten days per level, because I don't care to make it through all three levels in 30 workouts, I want to be fit and proud of myself for conquering each level. So...one more day this week, thank goodness, because my body wants a break!!
Today, after exercising I was working on a birthday present for my older brother. I was tracing a picture with small lines and my arms were soooo tired from the exercise I was having difficulties keeping my lines smooth and straight. Needless to say I had a take a couple of breaks to rest my arms because my muscles were so tired!
***************
Day 6
I'm still working on my brother's birthday gift so today I decided to work on it before my workout since I was using an exacto knife to cut out the small pieces. I could still feel it in my arms though, but it went much easier than yesterday! I'll be posting a picture of my project after it's finished if you're curious what I've been working on! :)
Hot again today in the house (not outside for sure...only 20 degrees out there!). I could tell today that my body needs a rest day tomorrow. I am completing all of the exercises as I have been, but I'm just tired and my muscles aren't feeling like they're getting enough time to rest between days. I'm taking Sat and Sun off and will judge next week how I'm managing. I might end up doing Mon-Wed, rest Thurs, then do Fri-Sat, rest Sunday. That way my muscles have a little time to repair themselves and I get he most out of each exercise. Today my goal for push-ups was 16 the first set and 15 the second set. I almost made it, I got the 16 for the first set, but only 14 the second set. I'm still happy though! Especially considering at the beginning of the week I only did a total of 10 for both sets! Thinking about that makes me feel great! Two of my least favorite exercises happen to be at the very end of the DVD...the triceps dips and the squirms. Grrrrr! I dread both of those, but instead of just giving up on them because I dislike them, I'm trying really hard to focus on what I'm doing and do it as best I can so that some day maybe I won't dread them so much. Haha...kinda doubt that, but that's what I keep telling myself. Two rest days and then I'm back at it. Ahhh....rest!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Beginner Shred Day 4
Day 4
Remind me again why I was looking forward to doing this today?! Haha...I'm so worn out! I was much hotter today and that made everything seem harder and I sweated like a pig in the middle of July. (Boy that's an ugly picture!) That or the fact I used the 5# weights for all of the exercises except that anterior raise, still using the 2's for that one, but on both sets now. Ugh, my muscles are soooooo shaky right now! I did 12 push ups each round! My goal was 12 for set one and 10 for set two, but after taking a short breather I was able to get the last two in for the second set. I will add, I feel like I'm getting stronger, even if it's just mentally I'm okay with that. However I am continuing to do all of the LE exercises and ab work at the "advanced" level, minus the planks and push ups which I'm doing on my knees. And I'm using the 5# weights for most exercises so, I'm either getting stronger or I am mentally in it better and challenging myself like I haven't done before. Which ever it is, I'm feeling great! I am still needing to pause the DVD a couple of times each day. It's been at different points in the exercises, and I always try to pause it between sets so that I'm not in the middle of an exercise. For the most part I pause it for drinks and because my heart rate feels too high. Not looking forward to tomorrow's workout at the moment due to my muscle fatigue! Haha...
Remind me again why I was looking forward to doing this today?! Haha...I'm so worn out! I was much hotter today and that made everything seem harder and I sweated like a pig in the middle of July. (Boy that's an ugly picture!) That or the fact I used the 5# weights for all of the exercises except that anterior raise, still using the 2's for that one, but on both sets now. Ugh, my muscles are soooooo shaky right now! I did 12 push ups each round! My goal was 12 for set one and 10 for set two, but after taking a short breather I was able to get the last two in for the second set. I will add, I feel like I'm getting stronger, even if it's just mentally I'm okay with that. However I am continuing to do all of the LE exercises and ab work at the "advanced" level, minus the planks and push ups which I'm doing on my knees. And I'm using the 5# weights for most exercises so, I'm either getting stronger or I am mentally in it better and challenging myself like I haven't done before. Which ever it is, I'm feeling great! I am still needing to pause the DVD a couple of times each day. It's been at different points in the exercises, and I always try to pause it between sets so that I'm not in the middle of an exercise. For the most part I pause it for drinks and because my heart rate feels too high. Not looking forward to tomorrow's workout at the moment due to my muscle fatigue! Haha...
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Beginner Shred Days 2-3
Day 2
Wasn't feeling well for Fri and the weekend, so I took it easy. I did notice some muscle burn on Fri, it felt good and it was nice to know at I had used those muscles. :)
I feel like I did better today, even with my stomach feeling a little weird. Got really warm and sweated today too, maybe because I was working harder, it's also warmer out too. I made it through the warmup and the first round of strength training ex before needing a break. I was using 3 pound weights and doing the advanced versions of the LE ex. I need to rest before the cardio interval and after it, because I didn't want the second set of strength exercises to not be good form just because I was out of breath. My heart rate felt really high as well. For the second round of exercises I'm still struggling with the push ups including my form. I have trouble knowing where my hands should be. I don't quite understand that yet. I did get 6 the first set and about 4-5 the second set. The ab exercises I was able to do the regular version of bicycle crunches and the squirms the whole time both sets! I also added the crunch during the overhead and leg lift thing. Forget what it's called. Overall felt much better about myself this time around. :) my arms feel a bit like jello now. Can't wait to see how they feel tomorrow. Haha. Really hoping to do this ex video again tomorrow. My goal is 5x/week and add in some walking, esp when the weather starts getting warmer, which is soon I hope! :)
**********
Day 3
I felt much stronger today doing some of the exercises! I managed to make it through the first set of cardio before needing a rest break...but then needed 3-4 breaks after that. I did 10 push-ups the first round and 10 push-ups the second round! I was so proud of myself. I finally figured out where my hands go too, which helped. I wasn't sure I could do the first ten, but was very proud, and then for the second round I told myself I needed to do at least five and so when I got to five and felt okay I thought why not see how far I could go! I probably could have eked out one more, but they were moving on to the next ex. I used the five pound weights more today including for the triceps kick backs, and was able to use the two pounders for the chair squat with anterior raises. (I paid attention to day to see what she called those arm raises.) Again I was able to do all the LE exercises at the advanced level as well as the ab work on the last part of the DVD. I'm still only doing the plank on my knees though, that's really tough for me, esp when I'm doing the advanced bicycle crunches and those stinkin' squirms. I hate the squirms, they're painful, but at the same time I love them because I can tell those muscles really need the work! Proud of myself for doing this 2 days in a row. After the first set of exercises are done I feel like the time really flies. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Wasn't feeling well for Fri and the weekend, so I took it easy. I did notice some muscle burn on Fri, it felt good and it was nice to know at I had used those muscles. :)
I feel like I did better today, even with my stomach feeling a little weird. Got really warm and sweated today too, maybe because I was working harder, it's also warmer out too. I made it through the warmup and the first round of strength training ex before needing a break. I was using 3 pound weights and doing the advanced versions of the LE ex. I need to rest before the cardio interval and after it, because I didn't want the second set of strength exercises to not be good form just because I was out of breath. My heart rate felt really high as well. For the second round of exercises I'm still struggling with the push ups including my form. I have trouble knowing where my hands should be. I don't quite understand that yet. I did get 6 the first set and about 4-5 the second set. The ab exercises I was able to do the regular version of bicycle crunches and the squirms the whole time both sets! I also added the crunch during the overhead and leg lift thing. Forget what it's called. Overall felt much better about myself this time around. :) my arms feel a bit like jello now. Can't wait to see how they feel tomorrow. Haha. Really hoping to do this ex video again tomorrow. My goal is 5x/week and add in some walking, esp when the weather starts getting warmer, which is soon I hope! :)
**********
Day 3
I felt much stronger today doing some of the exercises! I managed to make it through the first set of cardio before needing a rest break...but then needed 3-4 breaks after that. I did 10 push-ups the first round and 10 push-ups the second round! I was so proud of myself. I finally figured out where my hands go too, which helped. I wasn't sure I could do the first ten, but was very proud, and then for the second round I told myself I needed to do at least five and so when I got to five and felt okay I thought why not see how far I could go! I probably could have eked out one more, but they were moving on to the next ex. I used the five pound weights more today including for the triceps kick backs, and was able to use the two pounders for the chair squat with anterior raises. (I paid attention to day to see what she called those arm raises.) Again I was able to do all the LE exercises at the advanced level as well as the ab work on the last part of the DVD. I'm still only doing the plank on my knees though, that's really tough for me, esp when I'm doing the advanced bicycle crunches and those stinkin' squirms. I hate the squirms, they're painful, but at the same time I love them because I can tell those muscles really need the work! Proud of myself for doing this 2 days in a row. After the first set of exercises are done I feel like the time really flies. Looking forward to tomorrow!
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