Progress

Well I've been trying to figure some new things out in all aspects of what's going on with me right now. From this blog to new things to crochet to school stuff to whatever else you could possibly think of really. So lets see what I've done really in the past like 2 weeks:

1. I've rearranged the layout of my blog! Do you like it haha
2. I've made some new items for my etsy shop. (If you would like to see it go to the side bar and click "shop" it'll take you straight to it)
3. I've started studying for my 2nd SAT and my AP biology exam. (This is a big accomplishment)
4. I've helped plan out prom. I'm pretty excited for that.
5. I've been doing some awesome things in my art classes.
6. I got accepted into a program for an ASL class next year :)

Even if these seem little to you they are huge things for me simply because of the time frame I've done them in. I'm pretty excited to see what happens from here and where I go with some of these things. The places I'll see and go are only to be known by God and he'll lead me there for sure.

Have you heard? There may be a better way to wash your face!

Ok. So I'm a teenage girl that struggles with keeping her acne under control. Like I eat more than 1 piece of junk food and I have at least 2 new breakouts even though I work out 2-3 times a week and drink water constantly and do everything right. Well I was using proactive and yes it works for me but I was sooooo tired of washing my face with chemicals just to keep it clear and then deal with super dry skin and then by noon have really oily skin (hello gross!)
So my mom was doing some research because she was curious on some more non-chemical ways to take care of your skin and she stumbled upon The Oil Cleansing Method. Let me tell you something. This method changed my life. I no longer have super oily skin or super dry skin. I don't even have to use moisturizer anymore! And the best part is (well I guess there's more than one) I only have to wash my face once a day (in the evening) and it takes off all your make-up and pulls that gross icky stuff that got stuck in your pores all day out of your pores!

So this oil cleansing thing definitely is one of those what? why would you wash your face with oil??
Well here's the definite good parts to this and I can back these up:

• It helps balance your face's normal oil levels. 
• Oil dissolves oil (this is common chemistry)
• It pulls all the gross stuff out
• It feels wonderful as a massage
• It nourishes your skin :)

The Hard parts:

• Finding the right blend
• The adjusting period is 1-2 weeks normally
• It is kind of time consuming (but hey once a day isn't bad so do it in the evening)

Ok so now you probably want to know how you go about doing this Oil Cleansing method stuff right? well here's the quick version and the way I prefer to do it. (you can change this up to whatever works for you)

Any of these oils is normally good to use but you may have to experiment with what works for you:

Castor oil (highly recommended since it has very good cleansing properties)

Sunflower seed oil

Avocado oil

jojoba oil (this works for some people but not all)

any kind of vegetable oil really

Try not to use:

Coconut oil (this does work for some but most break out)

Olive oil (same as coconut oil)

I use Castor oil and Sunflower seed oil. I love these two together and they work for me. I use about 1/3 castor oil to 2/3 sunflower see oil so 1 tsp castor oil and 2 tsp sunflower.

These are the best ratios to start with and then whatever you feel is right for YOU

Oily: 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 sunflower oil (or your choice of oil)

Normal: equal ratios

Dry: 1/3 castor oil to 2/3 sunflower oil

These are best to start off with and then make it your own. But the more castor oil you do the dryer it could make your skin since it is very thick which is why we thin it down some with a thinner oil.

Here's the steps:

1. Put down all your other cleaners and make-up removers. You do not need these

2. either mix right there with the oils on hand or use a premade oil mix like I do and use about a quarter size amount to spread evenly across your face. (you can use more if you want)

3. Massage your face gently and do not scrub! Do this as long as you want but do it for at least 2 minutes.

4. Let it sit there for at least a minute to pull out all the icky stuff. If you want let steam hit your face for 5 minutes (if you do this in the shower like I do then put it on when you first get in and rinse off when you're done with everything else)

5. Take a clean wash cloth and run it under water that is as hot as you can stand and ring it out. Lay it over your face and steam it to help get the oil off. I have seen where you steam and then wipe the oil off. I personally do not wipe it off as it is my moisturizer as well but you can wipe it off if you would like to.

6. You're done!

You can add essential oils to your blend which is never a bad thing as I love essential oils (especially Young Living which is pictured above). Ones that help with acne specifically or have healing properties are best. But this is up to you whether you do or not.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and maybe even try it. But remember there is a week or two transitioning period where your face may break out a little more and be a tad more oily but this comes with your skin getting used to the change and it is so worth it. I encourage you to try this and if you don't like it in the end well you can go back to your old ways and there is nothing wrong with that.

Hair Bows, Hair Bows, And More Hair Bows!!!!

Ok so I absolutely love hair bows! Who couldn't though? Like seriously you can get/make one for any occasion. I recently made some Valentine's Day ones that I am in love with.

My favorite that I made:

Some Others that I have made and Love:

I love chevron print ribbon especially in grey because you can put it with any color! The flower in the center is very pretty and gives the bow a nice accent. 

But yes my love for hair bows is true and I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope to spread the love of hair bows to those who are iffy about them! If you have a daughter or grandbabies or nieces, ect. I'm sure they would love a hair bow but don't know if you don't try right? If you want to see other ones I've done just check out my facebook page Girly Creations. Either way I thought I would share something that I made and I hope you guys visit again for more posts. I plan on having some more tutorials soon for crochet items and maybe one for boutique bows!!

Some of my favorite quotes

This blog has a little bit of everything. From crochet patterns, to art stuff, to even quotes!! I have quite a few favorite quotes that I've either heard or found on Pinterest (a website that I could be on for hours and hours. who couldn't be??) Well here are a list of some of my favorites :)

"You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you allow, and what you reinforce." ~ Tony Gaskins.
If you want to be treated a certain way then act that way and don't tolerate anyone treating you a different way if you don't like it.

"Your body can stand almost anything. It's your mind you have to convince." I don't know who this is by but I have learned this in my 4 years of running. Tell yourself you can keep going and it becomes a little easier. This works in many different situations. Try it some time :)

"Success isn't defined by those who fought and never fell, but by those who fought, fell and then rose again." ~ Nastia Luikin
If you've failed again and again but rose up every time and tried again, you have or will succeed at some point as long as you keep trying.

"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is." ~Kara Goucher
This is a great way to define running. Sometimes I think we take advantage of the things we can do and those who have lost their legs or are paralyzed know what it's like to not be able to walk. I felt and remembered my runs where I had a hard time better than the ones I trained for. Don't get me wrong those were memorable also but the hard runs are what shows you how wonderful your life really is.

"Do what you love. Love what you do."

That's all I really have quote wise but a lot of these I read when I'm feeling down or unsure of something just because they are inspirational to me :)

Little Crochet Flowers :)

These flowers are just adorable and I use them for the centers of hair bows :) I love them and they give a little different feel to whatever I use them on. They work up in a few minutes and can be used to embellish anything if you just need something small. :) I had found a pattern but they never turned out right so I made 2 patterns. They both are about the same size but different stitches are used so you can use either that you would like.

What you need:
worsted weight or sport weight yarn (I always use worsted weight)
yarn need
E/4 (3.5mm) or D/3 (3.25) crochet hook

Pattern 1:
Make a magic loop, ch 2 and do 9 hdc's into the loop. Sl st to the top of the ch 2.
*ch 1, 2 hdc in next stitch, sl st in next stitch* repeat *  * for 5 petals.

Pattern 2:
Make a magic loop, ch 2 and do 9 sc's into the loop. Sl st together into the top of the ch 2.
*ch 1, 2 dc's in the next stitch, sl st in next stitch* repeat *  * for 5 petals. finish off

Very simple patterns. They turn out pretty much the same but i prefer the second pattern. You can finish off after the circle and the use the slip knot method and attach another color for the petals.

I did play around and I found a way to add another row of petals. I will show how to do this in another post.

Crochet Fingerless Gloves :)

So for those of you who like to crochet I have a pattern for you that is actually pretty simple. I have come up with a Fingerless Glove Pattern that keeps your hands pretty warm but leaves your fingers free to do things like use the computer or crochet or draw. :) I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions please ask I'm more than willing to help :)

Supplies:

H/8 crochet hook (5.00mm)
Worsted weight yarn
yarn needle

Here's the pattern :)

Stitches used & abbreviations:

St- Stitch

Slst- Slipstitch

Sc- Single Crochet

Bpsc- back post single crochet

Crossed dc

Crossed dc increase

This is a pattern for a size small but at the end will give directions for bigger/custom sizes

Cuff: To start make a slipknot and leave about a 4 or 5 inch tail to sew the cuff together after joining slst.

Round 1: Ch 11, sc in 2^nd st from the hook in the next 9. Ch 1 (10 sc)

Round 2: Sc in 1^st st then bpsc in next 9. Ch 1 (10)

Round 3-25: repeat round 2. Slst together. Take a yarn needle and stitch the cuff together with the tail, tie off and weave in ends.

For the Hand part: The cuff and this piece are all one big piece instead of two separate pieces put together.

Round 1: ch 1, sc evenly around for a total of 25 sc. Join with slst.

Round 2: slst in next st. ch 3, dc in previous(joining) slst. Crossed dc around. Skip last st. Join with slst. (24 sts)

Round 3: Same as round 2. (24 sts)

Round 4: slst in next st. ch 3 dc in previous st. crossed dc, crossed dc increase *2 crossed dc, 1 crossed dc increase* around. Join with slst. (28 sts)

Round 5: slst in next st. ch 3, dc in previous st. crossed dc around. Join with slst (28 sts)

*note you can add more rounds here for a longer glove if you would like then just continue with round 6*

Round 6: slst in next st. ch 3, dc in previous st. crossed dc until just 6 chains are left. Turn (22 sts)

Round 7: slst in next 2 sts. Ch 3, dc in previous st. crossed dc around. Ch 4. Join with slst. Turn. (26 sts)

Round 8: slst in next 2 sts. Ch 3, dc in previous st. crossed dc around. Join with slst. (26 sts)

Round 9: Slst in next st. ch 3, dc in previous st. crossed dc around. Join with slst. Fasten off and weave in ends. (26 sts)

*note you can also add a row or two more here if you would like them to cover your fingers a bit more.

Do again for other glove and you’re finished!! (:

For bigger or more customized gloves just make the cuff as many rows as needed but still snug to allow for stretching (odd numbers are best as the tail is by the slst joining the cuff ends and you can sew it down a little easier) and just single crochet the same number of rows around. The above pattern works the same way and just make sure that the end count of stitches is even at the end of each row.