The Oil Cleansing Method

Dear Familia,

It's always up and down with my skin. Sometimes it's clear and smooth and sometimes it's a mess. While I was home in AZ I managed to get it back on track, but I was using Cetaphil and with the new "clean" beauty regimen I'm trying to get on, that wasn't going to fly. This articleexplains why even though there are only a few ingredients, they are pretty bad. When I got to DC I went ahead and started using Dr. Bronner's. Although it's "clean," I think maybe it's too much for my skin b/c I've been breaking out all summer. My friend Cali talked to me about the oil cleansing method a while back. I had read about it through some of the blogs I follow, but it seemed very counterintuitive to do something like slather oil on your face to get it clear. I have heard the saying "like dissolves like" though so since I do have some major events coming up in the near future involving lots of picture taking I thought I would give it a try.

I did some light reading on this site and then picked up a couple of bottles of oil on my recent trip to Whole Foods. I mixed 3/4 cup (75%) Sunflower Oil and 1/4 cup (25%) Castor Oil and did my first treatment yesterday. I massaged about a tablespoon in for a good twenty minutes, laid a hot washcloth over my face, let it get cool, and wiped (in an upward motion...I heard this is better than dragging down) the oil off my face. My skin did feel both clean and moisturized when I was done and looked pretty dewy. I'll probably do it three times a week. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I am going to give it a few weeks or so.

Oh, AND I'm using one of my Goodwill/Ikea spice jars to store my oil mixture. Nice, right? My trip to whole foods also produced the ingredients for an all natural sugar scrub that I'll post about tomorrow.

Love,

Jem

Thrifty Thursday

Dear Sarah,

I've finally taken the plunge and become a bonafide used store patron. I know you would be proud that it's only taken about, oh, ten years for me to discover what you've always known. Haha. Anyway, we live in this area of Somerville called Davis Square (i'll have to do a post on that at some point) and when I went exploring on Tuesday I happened upon a Goodwill and a Buffalo Exchange. I went in with pretty low expectations and I walked away with:

1. An REI rain jacket for $28 from Buffalo. It has three small (pencil eraser sized) bleach stains on one arm, but they are not very noticeable and it was a steal. I think retail price is around $120. It poured on Monday and I definitely knew I needed one of these asap.

2. A pair of rain/snow boots for $7.49 from Goodwill. I actually saw a girl try these on and walk around the store deciding whether to buy them or not. I quasi stalked her till I saw her put them down and leave. I was super happy. They have a rain boot bottom and then "thinsulate" and suede top. They may or may not be a bit small, but they will definitely work. Also, they look pretty ugly in the picture, but the girl had them laced up over her jeans and they didn't look bad. No idea on the retail price, but I know even Walmart rain boots are at least $30.

3/4/5. Two glass jars for bulk purchases of grains and the like for $.99 each from Goodwill. I discovered when I got home that Amanda has these exact jars from Target. Do they look plastic in the picture? I got the woven basket for $1.99 and I think it will be great for keeping things above our fridge. We have a decent amount of storage space, but with 4 people's food it can't hurt to find other places to stash things.

6. I eyed these babies on that first trip to Goodwill Tuesday, but didn't end up buying them b/c I had already bought some from Ikea that I planned to take back since I didn't have a real need for them. I originally bought them for my desk supplies, but my new desk has 8 drawers for all my supply storage needs. Then I realized later that day that they would be good in the bathroom so I went back today and bought them. They normally retail for $3.99 for 4 and I got 7 (couldn't find the lonely 8th) for $2.99.

7. I don't have a picture of this, but I found a Liz Claiborne leather hand bag for $4.49 at Goodwill today also. It needs to be cleaned so I'll post a picture when it's all pretty.

Anyway, I've been pretty proud of myself for not being the super consumer that I usually am. So far the only brand new things I have purchased (that are not getting returned) are some pots and dishtowels for the kitchen, a shower caddy, and a comforter. Yay for re-usng...remember the 3 Rs? Oh ya, I know you do.

Love,

Jem

My Tiny House Dream

Real Simple

Dear Familia,

This is going to be a bit of a long story, so get comfortable. It all started with this article I came across on Real Simple's website. The article tells the story of a family that has just finished renovating their 1,400 square foot ranch when disaster struck and a fire destroyed their home. They had a couple of shed/cottages in the back that they were going to use for either a guest house or home business, but they decided to live in them instead. At 351 square feet, every single square inch is used to it's maximum potential. Read the article, it's great.

I'd already started down the path of trying to figure out how to reduce my carbon footprint and this idea of living in a much smaller space went hand in hand with that lifestyle. Growing up in Arizona, well in the United States for that matter, when it comes to houses...the bigger the better, right? A mansion is the ultimate status symbol. Even middle class families end up with way more house than they need. People have dining rooms, and formal dining rooms, game rooms, family rooms, home theater rooms, guest rooms, offices, the list goes on and on. Most of that space goes unused for the majority of the time. However, building these spaces uses an incredible amount of resources. Heating and cooling these giants is another financial and environmental burden.

After a bit of roaming around on the good ol' internet (you know I was interested because I spent hours using my slower than dial-up internet while in Peace Corps to check it all out), I stumbled across the tiny house movement, specifically the work of Jay Shaffer at Tumbleweed Houses. Jay has lived in tiny houses most of his life (one at just 89 sq feet) and considers his current home that he shares with his wife and baby to be big (500 sq feet). While down in Guatemala I downloaded the pdf version of his book and the free pdf version of some tiny house blue prints. I was totally hooked! Check out the video on the latest creation a Tumbleweed Bungalow that can be customized to a home owner's needs. I love the japanese style tub.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wci9ab8P0eI&feature=player_embedded

Over the course of the last year or so I've visited hundreds of tiny house sites and follow a handful of tiny house blogs. I also have at least 50 bookmarks of interesting/creative/amazing tiny houses. For example, this guy lives in the most beautiful and tiny Airstream trailer I have ever seen. And this floating guest house could easily serve as someone's primary house. Projects like this mining hotel got me thinking about how tiny homes could be used as temporary shelter in disasters or even as permanent housing in developing countries. That is something I will definitely have to explore while I'm in school over these next few years.

Anyway, fast-forward to last Friday while I was at work. I see this guy walk in that looks very familiar, but I can't quite place him as he walks past. About 15 seconds later I realize that it's actually JAY SHAFER...what?? I totally freaked out and even interrupted him as he worked with another Specialist. I told him what a big fan I was and how great it was to see him on this coast (he lives on the West coast). He told me he was in town for a workshop and I was totally bummed that I had somehow missed that he was going to be in town. And then he INVITED ME to the workshop. I spent the rest of the day telling all my coworkers about Tumbleweed houses and being unbelievably excited for the next day! I learned so much in the workshop...I'll share the highlights another day though b/c I have to head out :)

Love,

Jem

DIY Water Bottle

Dear Familia,

How cool is this DIY project? She reused a glass jar (like one you would have from spagetti) to make a water bottle, complete with straw :) How To

Paz,

Jem