Fresh Friday... Radiant Skin

As we all know Winter weather can wreak total havoc on our skin.

So I thought this week I would share a few tips

 on how to safeguard yourself during these months

and keep that healthy glow amidst icy cold temperatures,

 harsh winds and drifting snowstorms.

I'll start with my favorite new cleanser. 

packed full of wonderful things for your skin.

It contains the enzymes Papain and Bromelain and fruit extracts such as,

 Sweet Orange and Grapefruit, Kumquat, Kiwi and Neem.

All of these ingredients come together to gently exfoliate every time you

 cleanse, infusing your skin with that all important vitamin C.

It's suitable for all skin types and takes just one pump

mixed with a little water on your face to lather up perfectly.

 When the natural fragrance of those citrus fruits hit your senses,

 it's almost easy to forget that Winter is still upon us!

Every little squirt releases the sweet scent of fresh Summertime .

As you can see on the bottle this is a Skin Dimensions product.

I purchased mine at the Morton location.

They also have Illinois Day Spa's in Peoria, Galesburg, Bloomington and Peru

as well as Iowa Spa's in Clinton and Davenport.

Their staff is well trained and licensed to help you with all of your 

skin care needs and provide you with the most exquisite day spa experience!

If you don't live near one of their locations and would like

 to try this cleanser you can make your purchase online.

Since we know that cleansing is just the first step in skincare

you can view all of their other beautiful products right here.

While we're still on the subject of skincare products,

I'd like to share another one of my favorite items that I use every day, 

multiple times a day, year round and more heavily during these colder months.

Over the years, probably like everyone else, 

I have used so many different lip balms.

 Some that I liked more than others and some that went straight

 into the trash because they didn't even glide on properly.

Then a couple of years ago I hit my "Hallelujah!" moment 

with this fantastic product made by doTerra.

The very first ingredient in every one of them is Coconut Oil,

which most likely accounts for the silky smooth application of it.

They all have essential oils in them like:

 Peppermint, Spearmint, Wild Orange, Clementine, 

Marjoram and Ylang Ylang depending on the flavor.

Each one can be purchased separately

 or they can be bought together as a pack of three.

I keep them poked all over the house.

There's always one in my purse and each knitting bag, 

one in a drawer next to the chair I knit in during the evening 

and one in my dresser drawer to use just before I get into bed.

I consider this the final step of my skincare routine each night.

Winter is hard on our lips just like it is the rest of our skin.

No other lip product has ever helped me like this one.

If you live in my area and don't have a personal source to order

 doTerra from but would like to try this or any of their products,

you can contact me and I would be happy to add anything

you want to my order that goes out at the beginning of each month.

I will share my consultants discount with you as this is something

I do solely for the purpose of the health and well being

of myself and my household and not for the sake of earning money.

We can't discuss a topic as important as skincare

 without bringing up the actual real first step... healthy eating.

Every single thing you put into your body

 eventually shows up in your skin

 and even leaves trace deposits in your hair.

{For those of you who don't know,

 years ago I was a licensed Cosmetologist}

So, I'll say it once again...

You are what you eat.

Here's a list of

 Foods that are Good for your Skin:

1. Eggs  help with tissue repair,

High in:

 Selenium - wards off skin infections and acne

Vitamin A - prevents abnormal clumps,

 which can turn into moles and skin tags

Copper - promotes skin elasticity

2. Avocados  prevent blemishes and enhance skin quality

High in age defying,

 free radical fighting Vitamins A, D & E

3.  Blueberries tighten and renew skin

High in Vitamins A & C

Clears blotchy spots and acne

4.  Berries  Raspberries, Blackberries & Strawberries

High in Vitamin C

Keeps collagen in skin healthy

High in Anthocyanins and Quercetin, which:

helps reduce inflammation in skin

keeps skin tone even and causes skin to look radiant

5.  Oranges  (and Grapefruits) prevent wrinkles

tones the skin

High in Vitamin C

Helps improve the texture and color of skin

Restores collagen

6.  Watermelon  helps to clear your skin

improves elasticity

smooths skin 

7.  Salmon  rich in omega-3 fatty acids

helps moisturize skin 

 keeps it looking healthy and radiant

helps clear clogged pores  

erases fine lines and wrinkles

8.  Dark Chocolate  ( at least 60% cocoa)

helps skin stay hydrated

protects skin from sun damage 

*Sun damage is one of the biggest culprits

 of unhealthy looking skin *

9.  Kiwi  firms skin

has antioxidants that:

 fight cancer, prevent wrinkles,

 & keep bones and teeth healthy 

10.  Spinach  (leafy green veggies)

rich in nutrients and antioxidants

High in:

 Vitamins B, C & E

Potassium, Iron, 

Calcium & Magnesium 

Also be sure you are drinking plenty of water.

It hydrates your skin by delivering essential nutrients to the skin cells.

The vital moisture from the water helps to keep your skin soft and supple,

 enhancing your complexion by making it glisten and look more radiant. 

"Nature gives you the face you have at 20.

It's up to you to merit the face you have at 50."

Coco Chanel

"Aging is a fact of life.

Looking your age is not."

Dr. Howard Murad

Wildflower, I Think I Love You

This lovely Wildflower Shawl and I have had quite the journey together.

We've brewed many pots of tea from English Breakfast to Earl Grey and all the way to my favorite Rose Petal Tea. It's been sipped from bone china cups, porcelain tea mugs and sometimes sturdy mugs.

Together we have finished an entire audiobook series.

At times I was forced to lay my sweet little wildflower aside and work on various other items that were needed for customers. But always my heart was being pulled back to a wildflower that was dancing inside my soul.

You might say I fell in love with it. Truly, I think I did. Even while I worked on other things I couldn't wait to pick up this shawl again and watch it magically grow beneath my fingers. Each row and each pattern repeat just seemed to come alive all on its own. I could hardly wait to see the dance of colors that lay ahead.

It was like watching the wind blowing gently through a Summer field full of wildflowers...

And I was dancing in the sunshine with them.

I found myself being soothed at the end of a long day by the gentle cadence of the fiber, the remembered stitches, the flowing colors and the promise of beauty and warmth that seemed almost ethereal in as much as it was solid. Sometimes shawls have this effect on me. They conjure forth that "old soul" I was born with. They whisper to the heart of my romantic nature.

It begins with the first stitch...

Then as the shawl begins to grow it begins to work its magic on me and I find myself away with the fairies in my mind.

 I am suddenly wrapped in that shawl, because I can already envision it finished and flowing all about me, and I am twirling in the sunshine... or strolling in the moonlight... or just swinging on my front porch with the scent of rain and wildflowers surrounding me in the freshness of Spring.

I can't explain it, but there's something about a Shawl that Sets Me Free.

It makes me feel warm and feminine, yes.

But it also makes me feel free.

All of these emotions must be the reason shawls are really my absolute favorite thing to knit or crochet. I enjoy the process of everything I make typically.

But a Shawl...it just simply feeds my soul.

When I got all the way to the very end of this beloved friend, I realized I would have to eliminate the final row in order to have enough yarn left to bind off.

No problem. This pattern instructs to bind off purlwise on the right side so I simply bound off knitwise on the wrong side and the effect was the same.

It made absolutely no difference in the pattern or the beauty of the shawl.

As with all things in Life...

All I had to do was Relax and Breathe and think it through for a minute.

Then it was time for blocking. I will tell you this...

I always block everything.

Now, that being said, I don't always block it out as seen in this picture.

I have a steam iron that could blast the feathers off a bird in flight and I use it for a tremendous amount of my blocking. Steam blocking works beautifully for potholders, dishcloths, all sorts of random small articles and even some shawls. However, with a lacework shawl it really needs to be dampened and properly pinned out to be seen in all its intended glory. If we are going to spend our money, our time and our talent on something we need to see it through all the way to the final phase. Trust me on this.

Blocking makes a HUGE difference!

By blocking this shawl properly it gained 3 inches in length from top to bottom point and 5 inches in wingspan. That was after I had steam blocked it first. The final measurements are 18 1/2 inches from top to bottom with a wingspan of 62 inches. The pattern is Knit Picks Reflection Line and I used only One Skein of Chroma Fingering Weight in the colorway Wildflower.

I absolutely love the way this shawl turned out.  It's lightweight enough to be worn with the gorgeous points and lovely colors cascading down the front. The color striping worked up perfectly in this pattern like it magically new what to do.

With proper blocking the lacework holes opened up

and the points did their thing beautifully.

The whole asymmetrical affect captures my spirit too.

Plus the versatility of how it can be worn

makes it pretty much a perfect wardrobe accessory.

So ...

If you happen to spy a wildflower dancing in a field

that looks a little taller than the rest,

just drive on by ... 

"You belong among the wildflowers.

You belong somewhere you feel free."

Tom Petty