Lavender Dryer Bag

In an effort to minimize the use of chemicals around the house, I've decided to ditch dryer sheets all together and turn to some natural alternatives. Not only are they bad for your dryer (over time), but they are filled with heavy chemicals that coat your clothes and can absorb into your skin. Yuk.

I came across this fabulous article on tipnut about natural alternatives to laundry boosting. One option to replace dryer sheets is to add vinegar to the rinse cycle of the wash. This will reduce static and boost your laundry naturally. Another one that caught my attention is to use lavender dryer bags. I've made tons of lavender sachets in the past but never thought to throw one in the dryer. It's as simple as sewing a small pouch 3 1/2 sides around, stuffing it will dried lavender and hand stitching up the rest. It provides your clothes with a perfectly subtle scent that is clean and fresh.

My first sale - Eiffel Tower wine holder

My friend Cheryl is putting together a gift for a bride-to-be. The theme of her gift is Paris and wine (which is their honeymoon location).

I hand stitched the Eiffel Tower and used my sewing machine to create the rest.

inspire. design. create. love.

One of the greatest benefits to blogging is subscribing to other blogs. I know I don't post things very often on my own blog, but daily I am looking at my "dashboard" of new posts from design blogs I subscribe to. It encourages me and inspires me in so many ways. My mind has been bursting at the seam with new ideas on a daily basis. I had to put it all on paper, somewhere, so I created a "vision journal" (similar to the "vision board" idea). In this journal I have magazine spreads of beautiful rooms, printed out blog posts from design blogs, sketches of sewing projects, quotes and the occasional photo of a beautiful plate of food to inspire me to cook more. I suggest everyone do something like this!