Common Cold Hurry Up Remedy~ Tomato Soup

 Feeling a bit under the weather, I decided to stay home and mix up one of my favorite comfort foods, tomato soup.  Here is a couple things you can add to the soup to make it a natural remedy. It may not speed up the cold, but it sure helps make it more manageable. Just add these ingredients to a regular can of tomato soup to make a tasty alternative to pills and Vick's.

1 clove garlic, chopped 

Garlic combats infection as it is antibacterial. In addition, its spicy kick help clear the sinuses. Just put it into the tomato soup, it should still taste a bit raw when you come across it in the soup, but this increases the sinus clearing and is more effective as a healer. If your stomach is a bit weak, I would suggest skipping this ingredient or sauteing it a bit, as I have heard it may upset the stomach in some. I have never had this problem.

1 tsp Oregano

Oregano is packed with antioxidants and vitamin K. Fresh or in oil form is more ptent, but dried is fine and tastes great in this yummy soup.

1 Green onion, chopped

Green onions aid in recovering immunity and healthy digestion.

1 bay leaf

Said to aid digestion, lower blood sugar levels and is anti-fungal and antibacterial.

Crushed red pepper (the kind used on pizza)

Also increases draining of the sinuses. In addition, it increases blood flow, decreases any pain, and boosts the immune system. Put enough in to be able to notice the kick. I probably put in 1-2 tsp.

Add ingredients and heat according to directions on the can of soup. 

Now sit back and enjoy the healing properties of your old spice cabinet. I suggest pouring the soup into a large mug and sipping it directly. Spoons are too much work when you are sick :)

Note: I am not in any way a doctor, nor do I assume to know any risks involved with this or any other natural remedy, though I can't imagine any of these ingredients to cause serious harm to the consumer since they are all common kitchen ingredients. Just ingest at your own risk. I did research all of these ingredients though, so my descriptions of their supposed benefits should match up with any found on other webpages or natural healing literature that you may find.

Paper Mache Shoe Lasts

Today I spent some time making some paper mache shoe lasts. Lasts are basically a mold in the shape of a foot for the cobbler to use in shoe constriction. With a last, the shoe maker can pound nails and poke pins into the shoe no problem! Ouch! My feet feel for the poor last! Anyways, I think it is probably one of the most important objects for shoe making if you want to get a smooth looking professional looking shoe. I read online somewhere that this idea could maybe work. I am very excited to try it out! :)

Here is how I did it:

Need:

Flour

4 1/2 cups water

Paper ripped into strips

Old shoes (preferably thin like ballet flats) or your feet

Tin foil (or maybe plastic wrap would work if using shoe)

Scissors

Towels (its messy!)

Paper Mache mixture:

Boil 4 Cups water on stove. While waiting for water to boil, mix ½ cup flour and ½ cup water in a bowl until smooth. Add to boiling water and allow to simmer for a couple minutes (less than 5). Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Lasts:

Wrap foil around your foot or old shoe, making the foil as smooth as possible. I ripped mine down the middle to allow it to wrap around my ankle and stay one piece.

Soak strips of paper in flour mixture and use to cover the foot shape. Make sure to overlap paper and let it lay in different directions for maximum strength.

When fully covered, carefully clean the area right away. The flour is really sticky! If you used your foot, carefully cut open the heel and carefully slide foot out of mache shape. Use extra paper to carefully cover the cut line back up. Allow to dry fully.

I plan to fill them with scrap fabric to help them hold their shape. 

Note: After finishing these, I went online again and found THIS. The whole post is pretty sweet, because the guy makes  pair of shoes from start to finish, but the link should be to the part where he makes lasts. So maybe if I ever decide to buy Alginate and Permastone I can make some more durable lasts in the future. 

Cozy Banana Slippers

I made these slippers tonight. Super easy, took me less than a half hour to make! I found the instructions and pattern HERE. I love this pattern because it seems to fit the foot so well, its very smooth for I didn't add a lining, but it is still a quick sew either way. I'm planning to wear them with my boots as liners for extra warmth as soon as the weather decides to act like its February again. I made mine with fleece. 

For the sizing, I would suggest measuring the length of your foot and getting the pattern to match that length plus about a quarter inch seam allowance. I forgot the seam allowance, but they still seem to fit ok since they are fleece and can stretch some. Perfect to act like socks or liners. Not so good if you want to line them with anything like the website suggests.Definitely add seam allowance at least to the outside piece. I like this pattern because it also suggests covering the bottom with leather, which makes them last a bit longer :)

I'm thinking it would have been sweet to applique a flower into the tops before I sewed them together, maybe next time :)