Homemade Liquid Dish Soap A lot of people seemed to be having problems with the original recipe I posted that I found on another blog. So I did some tweaking and the new results are much much better!! Plus it’s organic and antibacterial! Can’t get much better than that! Homemade Liquid Dish Soap Ingredients: 1/2 cup grated soap (I used Dr. Directions: Grate bar of soap. Side note: I used the citrus kind for the smell and because citrus helps cut grease! Thats it!!! This recipe will not create lots of bubbles! Are you as excited about this recipe as I am???? I party here…
* Maria's Self *: DIY Toilet Bombs - Deodorize & Kill Bacteria! Just Drop One in the Bowl;-))) Remember I told you in my previous post that the next product in my store will be an "outside the box" one? Well, you've been warned;-))) I came up with the idea of Toilet Bombs a few months ago. At first I thought it would be embarrassing to make a post about them but I fell so much in love with these toilet bombs that I just HAD to share the idea with you - I'm seriously addicted! WHAT I USE: (for approx. 24 bombs) --1 1/3 cup Baking Soda - amazing for all-natural cleaning AND deodorizing! --1/2 cup Citric Acid - (low-strength acid that exists naturally in fruits like lemons & oranges) - used in many kitchen & bathroom cleaners for its cleaning, whitening & deodorizing properties *** All three oils I use have great antimicrobial properties and kill odor-causing bacteria PLUS this combo smells heavenly!!! Since I work with citric acid and baking soda, I always put medical mask first and then mix together soda and acid. About me: Find this post helpful?
26 Tips and Tricks To Simplify Life I have been collecting all kinds of clever tips to make life just a little bit more simple. Here are some of my favs! 1. Cord organization tips. I am SO doing this. {link} 2. 10. 19. Simple Lemon water. Want to be eco-friendly but not have to mess with cloth diapers? More From New Nostalgia: Making Glow Jars | The Gold Jellybean Yesterday Sydney and I had a major art and craft day, and also experimented with making glow jars. They have been floating around Pinterest for awhile now and look like so much fun! However, there is one tutorial that frustrates me. The image is clearly Photoshopped, and I think it’s very misleading. You will need a glass jar, glow sticks (I picked some up from the dollar store), rubber gloves to protect your hands, scissors, I recommend protective eyewear, and a piece of tulle (optional). If you are using the tulle, cut a piece slightly larger than the jar, and place inside. Now, put on those rubber gloves. Next, stir and shake the cut glow stick around inside your jar. Once you have the desired amount of glow material in your jar, replace the lid and shake it up. Here are all three jars we made. Now turn off the lights and watch them glow! And here is the jar with the white tulle. All in all it was a fun project.
How to Make Homemade Peppermint Extract Part of the reason that I decided to grow mint this year was so that I could try making my own peppermint extract. Jesse and I are pretty much obsessed with mint (especially mint plus chocolate) so we go through a lot of mint extract. Even though I buy my extracts through Azure Standard, they’re not exactly cheap, so making my own seemed like a great way to save some money. I finally got down to it last weekend. The extract has only been sitting for a few days so far so I can’t tell you how it came out, but I wanted to share the method now in case anyone else has an abundance of mint just begging to be used for something. How to Make Peppermint Extract I did a quick Google search and found a multitude of recipes, all of which followed the same basic outline. Harvest a bunch of mint leaves from your mint plant. Harvested mint leaves Remove mint leaves from stalks (if applicable) and pack leaves into a measuring cup to determine how much mint you have. Mint leaves ready to be rinsed
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. That goes for air fresheners, candles, perfume, soaps and anything else that is scented. We buy unscented everything. 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 1.
Homemade Vanilla Extract I love the scent of vanilla in anything from candles to soap and the flavor of vanilla in baked goods and desserts is second to none. If a recipe calls for one teaspoon vanilla extract, I use at least two; but likely more and use a slow, heavy hand when pouring. All that pouring makes my food taste amazing but my wallet doesn’t like it. Homemade vanilla extract saves money and even if it didn’t, when it comes to taste and flavor, there is just no comparison. The only thing special that’s required when making vanilla extract is patience. To make vanilla extract you need vanilla beans. When selecting beans, they should be soft, pliable, tender, and flexible. Next, you need alcohol (at least 35% by volume) in order to extract the vanilla from the vanilla beans, thus the name, vanilla extract. Bourbon, rum, or brandy may be used instead of vodka. You need a glass jar that seals in which to make extract. I figured as long as this was a two-month project, I may as well extract in bulk. Notes
Canvas Project To all of your coming over from Pinterest:Thanks so much for stopping by! Who knew such a simple project could become so popular? If you have any questions please ask! You can also check the comments because many people have shared tips and tricks they discovered as they've tried this project. Also, there's a misconception going around Pinterest that you can use glue for this project. A few weeks ago on Pinterest I found this lovely ditty. One thing you need to know about me is that I'm a font snob. I apparently got two different kinds of puffy paint. I knew I wouldn't be able to get a lot of detail using puffy paint, so I chose a font that was simple but not average. I didn't want to paint right onto my canvas because puffy paint is famous for getting random air bubbles. The next step was to peel the letters off of the wax paper and place them on my canvas. Once it was all done, I hung it up over the kitchen table. I love how subtle it is.
DIY Naturally Scented All-Purpose Citrus Vinegar Cleaners I've been on a quest to rid our home of toxic chemicals for both health and environmental reasons. Did you know? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be 10 times to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. One of the culprits is common household cleaners emitting toxic fumes. UGH! After my recent post about using fruit, herbs, and spices for making natural home fragrances, it occurred to me that I could use some of those same scent combinations for making natural cleaners with vinegar. These scented cleaners don't completely eliminate the vinegar scent when first sprayed. THESE MAKE COOL, INEXPENSIVE GIFTS. HOW TO MAKE NATURAL CLEANERSwith vinegar, citrus, herbs, and spices Assemble these ingredients: view on Amazon: essential oils, bulk pricing on cinnamon sticks, whole cloves Assemble these supplies: Jars or other sealable containers. view on Amazon:half gallon mason jars, quart mason jars, spray bottles,jar funnel, mason jar lid strainer, wire mesh strainer 1.