The Fountain Avenue Kitchen – Orange Vinegar (a “green” cleaner) Household chores will likely be cast off in favor of egg hunts and family get-togethers this weekend, and that’s a good thing. Happy Easter! The arrival of spring, however, is known as much for bunnies and daffodils as it is for thorough cleanings. So the timing seemed right to consider an ingredient that can disinfect your counters as effectively as it can dress your salad: vinegar. Basic household items like baking soda, toothpaste, lemons, and vinegar have long been used for purposes beyond the obvious. For some people, however, the pungent smell of vinegar is off-putting. My initial experiment involved stuffing orange peels into a Mason jar, pouring basic white vinegar overtop, and storing the jar in a cupboard without opening. When I shared this “recipe” in this very space three years ago, I was astounded by the response to my little experiment. Orange Vinegar (a “green” cleaner) 1 16-ounce canning jar* 2 oranges, peels only (eat the insides!) Notes * You may vary the jar size.
DIY: Indie Mix Tape Project Hi! It's Promise. This all started when I was cleaning out and organizing my new studio when I came across Audrey Assad's indie album packaging from a few years ago (photo below). She is an amazingly talented singer/songwriter with a great idea on how to package cds. (Audrey's album cover) INGREDIENTS: You will need the following items: small paper bags, scissors, twine, string, or yarn, your cd, and printable sticker paper. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Your Indie CD DIY packaging is now finished and looking mighty fine. Loves, Promise Calendar Email Me "You have taught me to believe in myself and to take things slowly, one step at a time, keep sight of my goals, both short term and long term. Your coaching style was both nuturing and motivating, you seemed to intuitively know some days what I needed most. Your caring and understanding was so appreciated and it came from the heart." -Holly C. I would recommend the Simplicity Course as an easy, practical way to start simplifying one's life. Each day focuses on only one task, which is helpful to people who feel overwhelmed by the complexities of modern life and hardly know where to begin downshifting. -Joan, New York Beth has an uncanny way of, "reading between the lines" to see a person's heart. I have already begun implementing her suggestions, and am dumbstruck at how well they are working. -Sue Halpern I feel more focused and have an objective instead of aimlessly filling up the day. -Shelli Segura
nyc mixed paper journal. **********UPDATE: Sorry the photos are no longer working! I have reposted all of the photos on my current blog. You can view the journal here: THANK YOU!!********** I took a little trip to New York last month and just finished a mixed paper journal that holds all of my pictures, tickets, brochures, and other mementos. If you want to make your own to celebrate a recent trip or other special event, follow these simple steps. Step #1: Collect tickets / brochures / postcards / other paper along the way. I saved everything that I came upon while I was away, include stuff that's free (ticket stubs, pamphlets) and stuff that I bought (postcards, maps). Before I left for my trip, I put an envelope like this in my purse to hold all of the paper I accumulated along the way. Step #2: Document your trip on a variety of mixed papers. Step #3: Label your photos. I combined mine in chronological order. You're done!!
FREE Cash Envelope System Template | Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs If you're new to Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed for updates in your favorite feed reader or by Email. Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss out on any great discounts on my templates! You can also follow me on Twitter and "Like" me on my Facebook Fan Page! Thanks for visiting! Update: I opened up an Etsy shop!! As I’ve mentioned before, we went to the cash system endorsed by Dave Ramsey not too long ago. The idea behind using cash is that it hurts to hand over that $20 bill. I can’t even begin to tell you what this has done for us. So, today’s FREE template is in honor of the cash system. I decided that it was high time I had prettier envelopes. Before I get started, let me direct you to some pretty good tutorials (if I do say so myself!) Where to Start – offers suggestions for basic materials to get you started with hybrid, if you are interested in using digital papers with your template. Now, print your project! So pretty!
Guest Blogger: Ez from Creature Comforts I’m beyond thrilled to have Ez from Creature Comforts with us today! She has the cutest shop which you may have already heard if you’re as obsessed with packaging as I am. Her shop, deservingly named Nice Package has all the packaging goodies you’ll need. Hello everyone! I’m Ez from Creature Comforts blog and I’m just delighted to be here today to share a little DIY idea with you for your big day or perhaps your next dinner party. I photographed as many steps as possible for the tutorial below, so it may look a bit complicated but I promise it’s as easy as, well…tying a bow! Step 1: Gather your supplies. Step 2: Prepare the elastic cording (used to attach the finished bows onto your favors) by measuring a length that fits snugly around the bag or box you will be using. Step 3: Measure a length of ribbon around 9 inches long. Step 4: Place another glue dot onto the underside of the remaining end and fold in to the center. Step 8: Pull knot tightly. Step 10: Tie ribbon into a tight knot.
{free printables} Looking for the perfect cleaning resource? Check out my book, The Organically Clean Home! Clean Mama everyday life. simplified. free printables Below you’ll find FREE printables for your personal use – I hope you enjoy them! Every month I give away a FREE cleaning and organizing calendar – get February’s calendar here. Want to try your hand at Make-Ahead Menu Planning? Want to jot down all those cleaning recipes? Looking for a cuter way to track your homekeeping? 4 FREE Seasonal Cleaning Checklists Company coming and house a mess? Curious what all those laundry symbols mean? Need to drink more water? 2 Cleaning Checklists for Kids Cleaning With Natural Cleaners Round-Up – 55 Recipes! Looming project? How Long Should I Keep It For (paperwork reminder sheet) File It….paperwork brainstorming page 5 FREE Checkbook Registers Kids’ Routines Checklists Quick Clean Ups Homemade Cleaning Recipes Printable DIY Homemade Cleaning Recipes – Labels 3 To Do Lists to Jumpstart Your Productivity Medical Exam Tracker
Best Friend Wall Art: Weekend Project I love to decorate my home for each season. This time of year it's a celebration of L-O-V-E! I used some Queen song lyrics (a song from our wedding) to make a simple, graphic piece of art for our bedroom. 1. Clean + Organized – How To Make a Homekeeping Binder Hopefully it’s not a secret that I love my Homekeeping Binder and the documents that I have created to go into my binder. If you are thinking of making a binder, have created a binder or just curious as to whether or not a binder could help you in your home, today’s post is for you. Who needs a Homekeeping Binder? anyone who wants a central place for family and/or home information What Information Should Be Kept In a Homekeeping Binder? any information that would normally be floating around on counters, drawers, or in your brain Where Should I Start? start by making a quick list of areas/categories that could use organizing in your home – if you have more than two or three, a binder is a great place to contain your information Not Sure of Categories? meal planning cleaning in case of emergency while we’re away home maintenance calendars school information budget + bill paying blogging gift giving holidays shopping contacts – family, friends, service companies The Categories In My Homekeeping Binder?
DIY Natural Room Scents Don't miss my follow-up post to this one withNATURAL ROOM SCENTS FOR DIY GIFTS & CENTERPIECESCLICK HERE This post was featured in the April 2013 issue of Woman's Day magazine. Here's the thing. I'm married to a man who hates artificial scents of any kind. Turns out that King-Man may just be ahead of his time. But, the air in my house gets stale sometimes. There is a simple, all natural, truly lovely solution. Keeping the supply list simple. How to Make Natural Room Scents Fragrant items for naturally scenting your home: citrus -- I've tried other fruits. view whole spices on Amazon: cinnamon sticks, anise stars, allspice, cloves, vanilla beans Five Natural Room Scent RecipesThese are all scents that my nose likes. General procedure: Combine the ingredients in a 2 cup (pint) jar or container, or in a pan on the stove top. view on Amazon: ♦pint jars ♦plastic lids for jars Scent #1: Oranges, cinnamon & cloves (allspice and anise are optional). Scent #2: Lemon, rosemary, & vanilla. Gift them!