Doing It Gorgeously

Sophie Loren is one of my “Do It Gorgeously” role models. When I’m kneading bread, or pouring face oils, I think of iconic women like Sophia or Julia Roberts and know that these are the kind of women who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and have a go at making virtually anything because they know the intense thrill and satisfaction that comes from doing it themselves. It’s also become rather in vogue this year, perhaps due to the economic downtown, to take rather a more frugal approach to life – this is all good news for the green movement, because making things from scratch is simply one of the most eco-friendly things we can do.

So how did I Do It Gorgeously this past week? Actually, I’m quite proud of myself: My daughter has had a vile cough/cold and so helped me to make her own remedies. We made a chest rub, an inhalation blend, and even cough medicine (very good news, since so many have been recalled recently), and we actually had a lot of fun doing it. What else? I made another enormous batch of yogurt for the week. We are big on yogurt in the Uliano family – both my husband and daughter eat it piled high with granola, berries and half a jar of honey each! If you’ve ever tasted homemade yogurt, there’s no going back and it’s easy to make it lactose-free too.

What else? I made another batch of Vanilla Body Creme in my blender and taught my husband how to make the vitamin C serum (you need to make it fresh every two days), as I don’t see why men shouldn’t use it too. He said it stings on application, which I told him it’s supposed to – the stinging tells you it’s working. Funny how men just can’t understand why you would ever want to suffer even the slightest tingle, let alone pain, for beauty!! Do men generally have a lower pain threshold than women? Anyway, moooooooving on..

Oh yes, my final DIY project of the week, was making insecticide for my entire yard. This time of year, if I don’t watch out, all kinds of little critters will dine out on my organic garden before I do – so into the pot went all kinds of soaps and herbs that I know they find repellent and I was out there spraying until it got dark.

Phew…just think…next week you too can get crafty and make all your own stuff, as my book will finally hit the shelves, and if you’re not the roll-up-you-sleeves kinda gal, I’m sure I can tempt you to have a go at the Pomegranate Eye Serum or the vitamin C mask – whip it up in 3 or 4 minutes and you’ve saved almost enough to go buy yourself a pair of eco-shoes!