How Memory Works {infographic}

If you're having trouble remembering stuff or if you're just curious about how your memory works (and then possibly devise strategies for improving it), I found a great infographic that will explain it all to you in pictures and minimum number of words! Yay for less words (that's less to remember :)

via Online Colleges

Click above for the original poster-size image (that you can print out if you'd like) or click here for the original source.

Unique & Free Fonts

If you've ever tried making a poster or a card on the computer, you'll know how frustrating it is to not have the perfect font that captures your message. Well, hopefully I've made your life a little easier by compiling a gallery of some fonts that I've found and really like!

Blanch font

How to Predict the Weather

In the spirit of teaching our kids (and ourselves :) how to read the weather in the old-fashioned, non-electronic way, here's an extremely awesome educational poster! And you know what's even better? It's a super big image file so you can save it, print it out, and post it on a bedroom wall! Are you as excited about this as I am?? :) Just click on the image for the original size. Here's also a link to the original source. Enjoy!

Reconstruct Your Old Clothing (part 2)

In continuation of last week's Part 1 involving reconstructing shirts and such, Part 2 focuses on sweaters. Some of these projects I found are so cool, I'm kind of tempted to scour Goodwill and other second-hand stores for high quality fibered sweaters, but that would defeat the purpose of me purging my closet and getting rid of stuff. Sometimes, the internet is not good for me.

Alpaca Wool Sweater Handbag, via The Inadvertent Farmer

Reconstruct Your Old Clothing (part 1)

I've been purging out my closet lately to make room for new clothes (and to generally get rid of stuff that I haven't worn for years and probably never will wear again). After awhile, I started feeling wasteful, wondering why I bought all this stuff only to not wear them?? If only I could scold Jen-of-the-past and tell her to stop shopping. Then I decided to check out the internet for ideas to revamp all my stuff. Boy, did I find a lot of stuff...

DIY t-shirt tutorials:

Petal Tees Tutorial, via Ruffles and Stuff

DIY Simple Skincare Recipes

I'm really into making my own facial scrubs and such, so I was delighted when I found this article on Yahoo recently with a bunch of super simple recipes that require only 2 to 3 ingredients.

Choice of Three Soap Bars by EldoradoSoap
No, I can't teach you how to make these, but you can get them on Etsy :)

DIY Rice Bran Nourishing & Exfoliating Face Mask

On Sunday, besides eating and hanging out with mom, I decided to make her my favorite rice bran face mask so we can pamper ourselves together. I took a picture of the mix but can't find my camera's USB cord for the life of me! Arg! Hopefully it's not lost for good. Well, I said I'd post the recipe today so you can all try it at home!

Oats & Chamomile Herbal Muds Masque by ArtesiaProducts

Rice bran is the outer layer of a rice grain and that's where all the important nutrients and vitamins are. Unfortunately, when rice is milled and the outer layers are removed (brown rice becoming white rice), most of the nutrients are gone as well. Luckily, rice bran can be bought separately and added to foods such as breads, cereals, etc. to enrich them. Sounds pretty counter-intuitive huh?

Make Your Own Massage Oil

It's actually really easy! Since Valentine's Day is coming up and some of you may have romantic plans ;) couple massages is a great way to connect with each other and soothe those sore muscles (especially you, who's hunched over a computer all day). There are so many different variations of massage oils out there, all of which work great, but we'll go with a simple and effective recipe this time. The information below is based on my experiences and information that I've collected over the years from my desire to make my own natural beauty products for myself!

Sweet Tweet Pair - Endlessly in Love by KcSoapsNmore

First, you'll need a few carrier oils, which is the base for your massage oil. Olive oil is popular and touted as a moisturizing cure-all, but since it's a thick oil and doesn't absorb very fast, it will leave an oily/sticky residue when used as a major carrier oil in this case because you'll be using a lot of it (although, used in small, amounts, it's a great moisturizer).

Other great carrier oils are sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, and jojoba oil (my three favorite oils that can be used across the skincare board, in my opinion!) All are high in vitamin E, have other skin nourishing properties, and absorb well. Previously, I wrote a post about using these oils for a hair mask. So you don't have to feel bad about buying a bottle that you won't use up in one setting because they can be used in so many ways (which I'll get to in future posts).

Handwoven Turkish Bath Towel by AllOrganicTextiles

Sweet almond oil is great for massages as it absorbs fairly quickly, but not so much that it needs to be constantly reapplied. It's derived from pressed almonds, has a faint scent, is nourishing for any skin type, and doesn't clog pores. However, it's not for those who have nut allergies.

Apricot Kernel oil is great for dry hair and skin, as well as an alternative for sweet almond oil. It's similar to sweet almond oil in texture and color (though it's a little bit darker), and very rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which gives it a longer shelf life than some other oils while promoting soft, nourished skin. It's also absorbed quickly, therefore it won't feel greasy afterwards, and it's derived from apricot kernels.

Jojoba oil is famous for its haircare properties, but you can also use it for your skin. It's actually not an oil, but a wax derived from the seed of the jojoba plant. It's highly stable (meaning long shelf life) due to it containing long-chain essential fatty acids and fatty alcohols that resemble skin sebum, therefore good for those prone to acne. It absorbs very quickly so you'll need to mix it with other oils.

Set of Glacial Stone Tealight Candle Holders by brooksbarrow

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. sweet almond oil
• 2 tbsp. apricot kernel oil
• 1 tbsp. jojoba oil
• 1 tsp. olive oil (optional: if you'd like some extra oiliness for longer massages without reapplying)
• 10-15 drops of your favorite essential and fragrance oils (lavender, rosemary, jasmine, bergamot, vanilla, etc.) Try mixing a few to get a personalized scent, or just stick with one.

Mix and keep in a dark (blue or brown) glass bottle. Glass bottles are preferable to plastic as essential oils tend to react with plastic bottles, therefore contaminating the oil. Carrier oils are not as strong as essential oils and some can be kept in plastic bottles, though glass is preferable. Since your massage oil contains essential oils, you'll need to keep leftover amounts in glass. To prolong the shelf life of all of your oils, keep them in a dark cool place. Mixing a bit of jojoba oil in your other oils will also prolong their shelf life.

Have fun and enjoy the extra pampering!

You and Me Print can be personalized by LennyMud

Custom Wooden Star House Wedding Topper by urastarhouse

Cute couple wedding cake topper by annacrafts

Forever Carved in Wood by inherwordsceramics

9 Ways to Say I Love You - Archival Print by rosydesignsonline