Make your own dishwasher detergent tabs (and deodorizing disks)

Tags

DIY cleaning supplies, DIY deodorizing disks, DIY dishwasher tabs, make your own cleaning supplies, spring cleaning

My month of spring cleaning is officially over, although I didn’t get to a couple of items that really need it (ahem….wretched oven), so I’ll still tackling a few more tasks in the next couple of weeks.
Overall, I feel the month was moderately successful. I always hope to get more done, and then life gets in the way, so I suppose I’ll just have to accept that I’ll never get everything on my list accomplished. Just to make myself happy (because lists always make me happy), here’s what I did manage to get done:

• Cleaned all baseboards
• Washed most of the walls
• Cleaned all electrical outlets/light switches (how do they get SO gross?!)
• Washed all the doors
• Washed all windows (except the girls on the inside, which I just remembered)
• Cleaned ceiling fans
• Organized/de-cluttered stockpile
• Organized/de-cluttered fabric storage shelves
• Organized/de-cluttered garage
• Deep cleaned the bathrooms
• Organized/de-cluttered girls closets
• Purged/organized toys in girls rooms
• Organized/de-cluttered front room closet
• Organized and took inventory of school supplies
• Removed everything from kitchen cabinets, cleaned, organized
• Re-organized pantry (more on this later today)
• Deep cleaned the kitchen
• Made Swiffer sweeper cloths
• Made UN-paper towels
• Made wool dryer balls
• Made dishwasher tabs (see below)
• Made trash deodorizing tabs (see below)

Still on the list:

• Clean oven (grrrrr….)
• Clean out refrigerator
• Organize craft nook (it’s a disaster area)

So anyways, enough of that.  I’ve wanted to make my own dishwasher tabs ever since I started making laundry detergent, and I finally got around to it this past week.

My main concern was that I’ve never had much luck with powdered dishwasher detergent, it just doesn’t seem to clean as well as the gel tabs, but so far these bad boys seem to be doing okay.  I’ve only run about three loads though, so I’ll just have to wait and see if they continue working long-term.

DIY DISHWASHER DETERGENT TABS
(idea found here)

• 2 cups washing soda
• 2 cups borax
• 1/2 cup epsom salt
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 15 drops essential oil

Mix everything together.  It’ll start clumping right away.  Press into ice-cube trays.  Let dry for 24-48 hours.

Store in a dry place.

To use, add 1 tab and a small squirt of Dawn to each load of dirty dishes.

 So far my dishes have all come out clean and sparkling!

I also made some deodorizing disks for my trash can.  One of the worst things about the Texas summers is how stinky the trash gets and I’m constantly dumping baking soda into the bottom of the can.  Hopefully these disks will help keep the bad odors down.

DIY DEODORIZING DISKS
(idea found here)

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1-2 cup distilled water (I just boiled tap water for about 10 minutes)
• Silicone mold (or muffin tin or ice-cube tray)
• Essential oil of your choice (I used peppermint)

Add 4-5 drops of essential oil to 1/2 cup of water.  Mix the water into the baking soda, and continue to add water until it forms a thick paste.  It only took about 1 cup for me.  

Divide the paste into the silicone mold and let dry for 24-48 hours.

When they’re totally dry, pop out of mold and dump in the bottom of your trashcan.  They’re supposed to last about 30 days.  Here’s hoping.

This week has been wild.  I’m a few days behind on my last task for Project Simplify, but I should (fingers crossed) have it finished by this afternoon.

I’m excited to get it done and move on to this month’s projects – skirts!         I desperately need some skirts and I’m going to try my hand and making at least one a week during the month of May.  I hope to share my first one next week, so be sure come back for it! :)

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

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Re-useable Swiffer Sweeper Cloths

Tags

DIY swiffer cloths, green cleaning, re-useable swiffer cloths tutorial

I love my Swiffer Sweeper, but I hate buying the cloths.  Seems like kind of a waste so I end up using my broom more often than not.

I do buy the wet cloths, because I have an aversion to mops.  They’re just disgusting and we don’t get along, so I’ve resigned myself to buying the wet cloths.

The dry cloths not so much.

So here’s what I came up with for a re-useable cloth that can be dumped in the washer after each use.

Supplies: 

• 12″ x 6″ piece of fleece
  
• 12″ x 6″ piece of knit fabric (an old t-shirt would probably work well)
• (2) 8″ x 6″ pieces of knit fabric

 

Fold the 6×8 pieces in half, and lay on top of the fleece with raw edges matches (forming the pockets) as shown.

 

Lay the 12×6 knit piece on top of that and pin.  I didn’t photograph this step, but make sure you pin down the pockets so they don’t move while you’re sewing.

Sew all the way around the edges, leaving a small opening to turn right side out.

 

Turn right side out, then top stitch all the way around, making sure to stitch the opening closed.

 

Pop onto your Swiffer and you’re ready to roll.

 

And my floors obviously need it….

I made several of these, and for some reason this one turned out a little big. Huh. Must be thanks to my notoriously un-even seam allowances.

Where is the eye roll emoticon when you need it?!

 

 

 

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

Un-paper Towels

Tags

green living, tutorials, un-paper towels

Remember how one of my “before 40” goals was to stop using paper towels and make a re-useable variety?
Well, I finally forced myself to get them made. They were really easy to crank out, which makes me wonder why I drug my feet on this for so long.
(Maybe because the thought was lurking in the back of my mind that it would create more laundry…)

Despite the dreaded laundry pile, I like the idea of going paper-less for a few reasons:

1. Less waste.  I’m not a die-hard environmentalist or anything, but I do think we should each do our part in recycling as much as possible and cutting back on waste where we can.  (I also believe in the community trash pick-up day, ahem, Jerm.  But that’s another story for another day…)
2. They save money.  Obviously, they negate the need to buy paper products.  Self-explanatory.
3. They’re pretty!  Hello!

These are seriously super easy to make.  You’ll need the following:

• 1 yard terry cloth
• 1 yard cotton or soft flannel (I used flannel)
• Velcro or snaps, whichever you prefer
• Sewing machine, scissors, thread, etc.

I cut my squares 10″x10″ and was able to get a dozen from 1 yard of fabric.

With right sides together sew all the way around the square, leaving a small opening to turn right side out.

Turn out, iron flat, and top stitch around the entire square, making sure to close the opening at the same time.

I sewed a squiggly line in the center of each square to help hold them together in the wash.

Add snaps (or velcro).  I chose snaps, because I was concerned that velcro would eventually not stick after being washed a few times.  Add snaps to each end of the square, matching the pieces so they’ll snap together (hopefully the photo helps make sense of this step).

Roll up and enjoy your pretties!  I rolled mine around an old paper towel roll and hung them up on my dispenser.  Love them!

(I’ve got to admit, I don’t know what I was thinking buying light-colored fabric.  My brain must have been on vacation that day; I’m sure they’ll be awful looking in no time.  Ah well.  You win some, you lose some.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

Cleaning Tips: How to polish your stainless steel sink

Tags

cleaning tips, polishing stainless steel sink, tutorials

This month I’m really focusing on my house and getting some heavy-duty spring cleaning done.  I’m going to be experimenting with a couple of new homemade cleaners, making some re-useable cleaning supply items,  and participating in Project Simplify.

I tackled several projects already in March, and one was working on really cleaning up and polishing my stainless steel kitchen sink.  I don’t know about y’all, but unless my kitchen is clean I feel like my whole house is grungy and dirty, and I hadn’t been happy with just wiping down my sink because I felt like it still looked spotty when I was done.  So I experimented with a few things and here’s the solution I came up with that produced some nice results.

Grody “before” sink

First, spray down the whole sink with white vinegar, then sprinkle with baking soda.  Let that sit for ten minutes or so while you boil a pot of water.

Once the water comes to a boil, pour it into the sink, then scrub it down really well.

Dry with a paper towel, then take a small amount of olive oil and buff the sink well.  This really made my sink shine and I’ve found that it still looks nice with just a quick wipedown after several days of use.

So. Much. Better.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

Owl Paper Lanterns

Tags

DIY owl decor, owl paper lanterns, owl party, owl party decor

This is probably one of the most self-explanatory projects I’ve ever made, but they’re so cute that I thought they deserved their own post.

Behold, the owl paper lantern.

Paper lanterns are super popular right now, and unlike the chevron and yarn wreath crazes, I’m happily willing to jump right on this bandwagon.

I’m sure there are lots of companies you can order these lovelies from, but my go-to place (and probably the most popular) is Luna Bazaar. They have an extensive collection – pretty much any color or style you could imagine or desire.
They’re also affordable, which wins me over every time. ;)

So now that I’ve said all that, here’s how to put these babies together.

Supply list:

White cardstock
Black cardstock
Orange/yellow cardstock or foam
Paper lanterns
Coordinating cardstock or patterned paper
Scissors
Glue dots (or hot glue)

Cut large circles out of the white cardstock for the eyes.
Cut smaller circles from the black cardstock and glue together.
Cut out wings in desired shapes/sizes and glue on the sides.
Cut out a beak and glue under the eyes.

I admit, I intended to add some feet to the bottom, but forgot.
In fact, I think I forgot to add feet to any of the owl decorations.
Guess owl feet aren’t my thing.
Maybe Regina’s, though…
(Don’t ask.)

You could also add ears. I was lazy pressed for time so I didn’t.
Hang from the ceiling and you have instant owl decor.
I used glue dots so I could remove the owl-ness and keep the paper lanterns for other uses.
Stick around long enough and you’ll probably see them around here again.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations

Make your own fabric banners

Tags

DIY pennant banner, fabric banner tutorial, party banner

I love fabric pennant banners.
They’re a great photo prop, can be made any size, and you just need a few scraps of fabric to piece one together.
I love how versatile they can be, depending on the fabric used.

Here’s how easy they are to make:

Make a template out of paper or cardboard first. Your measurements can be whatever you choose, but the height should be 1″ taller than the width.
I made mine 4″ x 5″.
Figure out how long your want your banner and cut out twice as many triangles as you need.

With right sides together sew each triangle on the long sides, leaving the top open to turn. Turn each right side out and iron flat.

Using ribbon, twine, bias tape, or lace, pin each flag into place, making sure they are evenly spaced.
Sew together, which both holds them in place, and covers the unfinished edge, leaving a length of ribbon on each end.

I love these.
I want one in every color, size, and pattern.
:)

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations

Fluffy Mini Pom tutorial

Tags

DIY pom centerpiece, mini fluffy pom tutorial, parties, tutorial

I made a few of these little poms for the table at Madeline’s owl party last week.
They’re festive and cute, and only take a minute to whip up.

Layer 4 pieces of tissue paper (9″x12″), alternating colors.

Fold over, lengthwise, and make even cuts along the unfolded side, leaving about 1/2 inch uncut.

Holding the uncut edge, fold lengthwise, twisting the end, and secure with tape.

Fluff the pom and display in small vases/cups.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations

DIY Photo Tiles

Tags

crafting, DIY photo tiles, photo projects, photo tiles

I love the look of these photo tiles.

They only take a few minutes to make, are very inexpensive (under $3), and are awesome for customized gifts. Ideally, I would have printed this photo out as 6″x6″ to fit the tile, but unfortunately it cropped our heads off at that size.  I really wanted to use this particular photo so I just fit it as best I could.

• Step 1: Gather your supplies – photo (I used a 5×7), tile (from Lowes), Mod Podge, brush, paper trimmer (or scissors)
• Step 2: Crop photo to fit tile.
• Step 3: Brush Mod Podge onto tile, completely covering the surface.
• Step 4: Position the photo, then brush Mod Podge over entire photo.
• Step 5: Repeat and let dry completely.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations

Fairy Tale Month: Rapunzel Braid Project

Tags

dress-up, fairy tale month, Kids, Rapunzel hair, Rapunzel hair wig, tutorial

I don’t know what my problem is this week, but I’ve been running behind ever since it started.
Because of that I won’t be able to post our final Rapunzel project until early next week, along with a final wrap-up of our awesome fairy-tale-filled month.

Here’s what we did finish this week: a Rapunzel-inspired yarn braid.

This wasn’t a hard project, but it did take some time.
I got it about halfway done and messed up and had to unwind and then rewind almost a pound of yarn. NOT FUN!
But guess who came to my rescue?
The husband.
He took over the task of yarn-winding and in typical Jeremy fashion, figured out a way to save time and energy while doing so.
I loosely followed this tutorial, mainly borrowing her idea of using cut-off tights to sew the yarn onto.
Brilliance.

And now my girls have a Rapunzel braid to fight over.
Not so brilliant.

So here’s the basic idea:

Wrap yarn around two objects that are as far apart as the length you want your braid.  I started by using chairs, but they kept moving, so Jeremy eventually wound the yard around the table legs.  Perfect, and everything stayed even.  I used 1lb of yarn.

Slip a small piece of yarn through one end of the yarn and tie off.  Snip the other ends (so when it’s laid out straight it is tied in the middle).  The tied area is the front of the wig.

Hand sew the top of the wig to the tights (as shown in the link) and braid the remainder.  Voila.

Susannah’s been informing me of my folly in not adding flowers to the braid so I suppose I’ll be remedying that next week as well.

Have a good weekend, all.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations

DIY Gifts: Flower Pins/Hairclips

Tags

DIY flowers, DIY gifts, flower pins, silk flowers, tutorial

These flowers were on my to-do list for a long time before I finally gathered the courage to try them.
I’ve always been a total wuss when it comes to lighters, so the thought of burning the edges of the fabric made me hesitate.
You know.
For a couple of years.

And I’m not gonna lie.
I totally burned my first few attempts.
Charred, ruinous little piles of fabric were not exactly the results I was hoping for, so I almost gave up.
But eventually I got better with just curling the edges of the fabric with the flame and was able to put the fire extinguisher away.
Well, away but within arms reach. ;)

I didn’t use any particular method to my madness, just cut two circles about 5-6 inches in diameter, then cut two circles a little smaller, and continued to do that until I felt I had enough.
See, very scientific.

Curled the edges with the flame (obviously I haven’t perfected this part yet), then piled them together and put a few stitched through the center.
I like adding buttons to the center to embellish a little, then add a clip or pin to the back with a glue gun.

The loveliness of the flowers made me forget all about the shameful little piles of ash that I quickly swept out of sight.
;)

Because I’m a big scaredy-cat about accessorizing, I gave these away to my sister.
Maybe someday I’ll be daring enough to wear one myself. It’s sad that I’m such a plain Jane, because I love pretty stuff.
It doesn’t help that the one time I tried to wear a flower in my hair, my sister was visiting and she laughed at me.
Sniff.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across My Face, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, The Southern Institute,  Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Vintage Wanna Bee, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, Crazy for Crust