Lovely Soap Recipes

Sharing with you some gorgeous soap recipes I found online: 

Coconut-Lime Soap at offbeat + inspired

Lemon & Basil Soap at Soap Deli News

Hemp Body Bar Soap at The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe, Inc.

Herb Soap at broke & healthy

Lovely Lavender Soap at Lovin' Soap

 Avocado Oil Soap at Soap Making Essentials

Interior Design and Faux Painting:

That's me at Sacred Movement Yoga in Bishop's Corner, West Hartford, a yoga studio that I just finished designing with Johnny Frechette. Check out the before and after pictures at my new website, Inside Artists. Let me know what you think!

Sacred Movement Yoga, Bishop's Corner, West Hartford

Health Update: Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder

My mixed connective tissue disease is back.

I recently had a positive ANA titer again. 1:640. Speckled.

Mixed connective tissue tissue disease could carry a high rate of malignancy. Ugh.

I am currently on a gluten-free (for over a year now).

But my night-sweats are back and my fatigue levels are up.

Malignant-lymphoma-associated autoimmune disease.

My Vitamin D levels are good (51 at last check) though.

I will try a strict paleo diet and check back in later.

Paleo Diet and indolent lymphoma.

I wonder if all that farmed salmon I ate this summer at the Market in Hartford (in the all you can eat $7 salad) had anything to do with my titer becoming positive again. Plus, I'd bet the salmon at Whole Foods salad bar is farmed as well. I've eaten salmon there too recently. I had no idea they vaccinated farmed salmon! Ew! And all of the vaccine toxins are stored in the fat of the fish, and you eat them.

Health Hazard: Farmed Salmon

Mixed Connective Tissue Disease: "A rheumatologist may suspect mixed connective tissue disease if a patient appears to have lupus, scleroderma, vasculitis, polymyositis, Sjögren's syndrome, lymphoma or viral pericarditis but also has symptoms of the other conditions as well."

Infections and Vaccination in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Myth or Reality?

Faux Painting: Pearl Metallic Finish

Just finished a sample board for my next project using pearl metallic paints:


I'll be using an over-scale damask pattern by Royal Design Studios ~ this stencil was for sample-making purposes only.

Inside Artists Homes . . .

Cool pics from Flavorwire ~ take a peek inside the homes of a few famous artists . . .

My fave: West Village Home of Julian Schnabel (via NY mag)

Vanity Fair Goes To The Schneighborhood

Check out more artists homes (including Georgia O'Keefe and Keith Haring) here . . .
Creative Habitation: Inside Artists' Living Spaces

Now that I live at ArtSpace Hartford, I'm thinking a good article for my new website Inside Artists would be to take a peek into the homes of the wonderful artists that live here . . . I am amazed at how uniquely different they all are!

Color: Design Seeds

FABULOUS website for color schemes: Design Seeds

Check them out!!

I've Moved . . .

In case you're wondering why I haven't been blogging as much as I used to, here is one of the reasons:

I've just moved into a gorgeous 2br artist's loft in Downtown Hartford with my boyfriend, Johnny Frechette Super Fine Artist.

Check it out:







In the meantime, if you haven't done so already, please friend me on Facebook, as I actively use this site to update friends and family on all natural health issues, and join my Dana Herbert Inside Artist page to follow my art and design project updates.

Love.

Faux Painting: Wall Mural by Melissa Barbieri

I love this wall mural by Melissa Barbieri.

California Highlights: Lunch at Cru

One of the really fun things I did in California was have lunch at Cru, a raw foods restaurant in Silver Lake, with raw foods superstars Debbie Young and Barbara Ellingson, two amazing women beating cancer with a raw foods diet . . .

Debbie Young, Barbara Ellingson, Sammy Young, Jim Ellingson, Johnny Frechette and Dana Herbert

The food was delicious, and gluten-free!! Check out the menu here. Here is what we ordered, each dish was a work of art:

Dana Herbert and Debbie Young

Check out Debbie's blogs:
Debbie Does Raw
Grass Fed Momma

Check out Barb and Jim's Primal Diet website.

And check out Johnny's Super Fine Artist Fan Page on Facebook.

Johnny and I had more fun with Debbie, Sammy, Barb and Jim, so stayed tuned for more California Highlights posts . . .

Going Green: Asbestos Removal

Asbestos roofing professionals

Going Green: Asbestos Removal
by Alex Johnson

Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of cancer. During World War II, the use of asbestos becomes a common insulator, used in shipbuilding, construction, and industrial projects. The material is lightweight and easy to handle. The manufacturers and some companies that know asbestos might be potentially hazardous, fail to inform the public, so property safety procedures can be implemented. Approximately three decades later, a new type of cancer is diagnosed. As the number of cases starts to multiply, the common factor in every patient is the exposure to asbestos.

Today, many older homes and commercial buildings do not comply with the current energy and safety standards. Renovation is necessary to bring the structure up to code. Older buildings need to be demolished. Going green and asbestos removal can be a costly and potentially dangerous undertaking.

Asbestos Removal Regulations

Because asbestos is a hazardous material that is potentially harmful, if dust and particles are released into the environment, renovating, or even demolishing, a building with asbestos insulation must follow EPA and OSHA standards for safety. According to an article in asbestos.com, individual homeowners, contractors and special trained professionals in the removal of asbestos are required to meet the same safety standards, and hiring a professional may be necessary.

These are mostly set out as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations (Refer to 40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M). The work also must comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations delineated in 29 CFR 1926.1101. Of course those licensed asbestos-abatement contractors will be most familiar with the regulations, most experienced in meeting them, and most efficient in protecting you from liabilities and exposure to asbestos hazards.

Proper cleanup, after the project is completed, is also vital. Released into the environment and left to the elements, asbestos can also cause cancer via secondhand exposure.

Cost of Asbestos Removal

Asbestos removal depends on the volume of the hazardous material in the home. If asbestos is located in the ceiling, walls, floor, and around pipes, it can cost approximately $20,000 to completely rid the structure of asbestos.

Some asbestos certified contractors will charge based upon the size of the project. According to asbestosremovalcost.org, “Complete removal in a 2,000 square foot home will usually be about $2,000 to $4,000 on average because the hazardous material can either be contained instead of removed, or will only be present in a few areas”.

For “Go Green” renovation projects, where asbestos insulation is a concern, hiring a contractor certified in the safe removal of this mesothelioma causing agent is the best option. Although it may cost several thousand dollars, it is a small price to pay for protecting the family against exposure to asbestos dust and fibers. Protect yourself and the environment.

- by Alex Johnson

Thank you Alex!