Lately...

Welp school started today and I'm slowly, and reluctantly, getting back into the swing of things. I always feel so overwhelmed the first day back when my professors go over all of the projects, assignments, quizzes, etc for the semester. However, I am looking forward to spending some time in the field (an elementary school in the area) working with a class two days a week. Posting may or may not be a little slow around here as I get adjusted. 

I did want to pop in and share some of the things I've been up to lately. Brandon, my boyfriend, just transferred over to University of North Texas, which means we'll be doing the long distance thing for a while. He's got a whole new apartment and a whole new roommate so I wanted to help him out by making some pillows for his place. 

We found this great ship print linen-y fabric at Ikea. He's kind of got a worldly traveler theme so it fit in perfectly with his room. 

I used this great tutorial over at Running With Scissors. I love that the inserts can be easily removed when the covers need to be washed. 

I also finally got around to making scrapbook tile magnets. This is one of those projects that has taken me FOREVER to get done. I purchased the tiles a year or two ago and then just recently ordered these super strong magnets from Amazon. Of course now I can't find the original source of the magnets. This isn't where I first saw it but I like how in this post she uses them to write a message on a metal tray. 

I know I already mentioned this cutting board...but seriously I love it! I have very little working space in this tiny kitchen of mine and the board gives me so much more surface area. 

It fits perfectly over the sink and can hold a lot of vegetables. 

and I do mean a lot! 

Anyways, I looked into conditioning treatments for it and came upon this awesome mineral oil and beeswax recipe. Of course I got it all over my hands in the process of slathering the board, and I couldn't believe how soft it made them. It really conditioned the dry, peely areas I tend to get around my nail beds. 

I added a little sugar to help exfoliate. With mineral oil and beeswax selling fairly inexpensively, I think this could be a good replacement for expensive hand scrubs. 

It's like a manicure in a jar!

I realize there is some controversy on whether or not mineral oil is okay for skin. The argument is usually more focused on infant use (mineral oil is what is used for baby oil). Personally, I think it's okay  especially in small doses on hands, but you may want to decide for yourself after reading up. It's just a little discovery that I thought I'd pass on to you. 

Here are some articles I referenced in my research:

Beauty Myth or Fact: Mineral Oil is Bad for Your Skin

Mineral Oil: The Good, The Bad, and The Fact

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