Category Archives: How-to

Bristow at the Studio

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Last night I fbristowsepiaelt as if I had been transported back forty years to my undergraduate art major days at Trinity – there was my Prof, Bill Bristow, teaching us all how to draw at my Studio. He had the class of 16 scribble a ball of twine, and before we knew it, we were drawing horses. But best, perhaps, were his stories about fellow artists and old friends. He also spoke of being profoundly influenced by the great Japanese artist, Hokusai. All of us loved learning from Bill and are looking forward to the next time!

 

 

Friday Freebie – another absolutely invaluable free tip

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I learned this from a jewelry designer friend – I have a favorite pin that’s shaped like a kimono, and I like to wear it, but it’s kind of large and heavy and it slips around and always seems crooked. My friend showed me how to cut a short length of drinking straw and slip it onto the rod part of the pin. Close the pin clasp around the straw. Then you can slip a thin leather cord or a very thin chain through the straw and turn it into a pendant! Check it out – it’s very simple and very cool.

 

Friday freebie

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Well, it’s a free tip, anyway – this is an instant spa treatment for dirty hands. Mine are always covered in paint or dirt from the garden. Here’s whatcha do (and you probably have everything right by the kitchen sink) – put a spoonful of sugar in your palm, add six or eight squirts of hand lotion, then without using water, scrub and rub your hands together for about a minute. Rinse well with warm water, dry with towel, and voila! You won’t believe how clean and soft your hands are. Try it and share this tip with all your dirty-handed friends 🙂

 

Boxing Day Challenge

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Today, December 26th, is Boxing Day in England where I spent part of my childhood (our father was stationed at Ruislip Base in London for five years). There are all kinds of reasons why it’s called that – giving boxes of Christmas goodies to service workers is one – but I’m going to give you a challenge instead. I decided I wanted to learn how to make a new kind of paper box, and this little mulberry-paper container the result. Simple, right? Not. Even with the video, it’s tricky. See if you can do it. It took me a couple of tries to figure out that x#@% last part.

Origami paper box

Origami paper box

PS The person’s hands in the video are impossibly smooth – I think it’s a plastic robot, personally 🙂

Link address to copy if you want to save it – http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-box-with-paper/

Quick gift you can make

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These cosalts2ol bath salts are one of the examples I show in my aromatherapy classes (see the site at Chemaroma.com ). My biochemist friend Dr. Bill Kurtin knows all of the reasons essential oils work scientifically, but you can do this project without knowing any chemistry – whew :). You’ll need some Epsom Salts, some essential oil (Sprouts, Central Market, Whole Foods) and some lunch bags. You can make these for less than a dollar each and they smell wonderful and work great on sore muscles or stressed out psyches. You can store them in your linen closet to make the towels smell fresh. Easy, cheap and nice – there ya have it.

Here’s a video I made for our aromatherapy class site that explains the how-to. Think hostess gifts and stocking stuffers. You can even toss a small handful of the salts into your shower and get the therapeutic effects of the essential oils without soaking!