Homemade Laundry Detergent

A long while back, I was browsing Pinterest and saw a recipe that was repeatedly posted for homemade detergent.  I thought, hey, I should try that because it is one more way that I can make my family more self sufficient (plus, it is supposed to save you a lot of money).  Well, I waited and waited to actually make it because it seemed silly to me make a huge vat of detergent when we were about to move (I highly doubted out movers would move it for me).  So, once we got settled into our new home and I ran out of store-bought  detergent, I decided it was time.  I bought all of my ingredients and once my kids went to bed, I whipped up a batch.

Now I just want to make a quick disclaimer.  I love store bought anything.  I'm not a crazy person that thinks that people who make their own things are better than others.  Really, I don't.  However, I love trying new things.  Also, I belong to a church that asks us to be prepared.  So, I wanted to learn how to make detergent in case something ever happened and I could no longer buy it at the store.

With that out of the way, let's get on to the results.  The homemade detergent works well, but I wouldn't say it is super fantastic.  I don't think it is any better than store bought detergent.  I'm not sure if I will make it again.  However, it does save a ton of money on detergent.  I made a batch back in July and I still haven't even used half of it, maybe not even a third.  It only costs about $20 to make and can last about 9 months (depending on the amount of laundry you do).  My mother told me about a homemade detergent that my aunt made that was a liquid and not powder detergent.  I think I may try that next.  If I don't like that any better, I will probably go back to store-bought detergent for a while.  However, if I ever need to make detergent, I can and I know it will work.

You can see the post and recipe I followed here (Being Creative to Keep My Sanity).

Here are the ingredients that you will need.:

1-4 lb 12 oz box Borax (76 oz); found in the detergent aisle
1-4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda; found in the baking aisle
1-55 oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (3 lb 7 oz); found in the detergent aisle
3-bars of Fels-Naptha soap; found in the detergent aisle
* optional: 2-small containers of Oxy Clean (or generic equivalent) (about 3.5 lbs total); found in the detergent aisle

First, start by shredding your Fels-Naptha soap.  As I went to do mine, I realized that every single grater/shredder that we had went missing in our move.  So, I had to by a new one.  Knowing what I had to do, I bought one of those snazzy round shredders that they use for parmesan cheese in restaurants.  It made the shredding go so much quicker.  However, the soap took a while to clean out of the shredder (so, I don't know how much time I actually saved, but it saved me on energy).
*Tip 1: Use a big 5 gallon bucket lined with a trash bag to mix your batch.

After, you have shredded your bars of soap.  Add all of the ingredients to your bucket.  Mix well (seriously, mix really well).

You'll have yellowish/orange spots mixed in.  This is the bar soap.  Don't worry, it all works fine in the washer.

I transferred mine into this clear glass container that I had used for flour in my old house.  I kept it empty knowing that I wanted to put my detergent in it.

You need to use 1-2 Tbs of detergent per load of laundry.

I found that the scoop that went with small container of Oxy Clean was the perfect size.  The line just below the rim is 2 Tbs, so I fill it to that line, or just below for a smaller load.

Everything fits perfectly in my container (you can get the same one at Walmart in the kitchen items aisle.  This is the giant one).

And voila, homemade laundry detergent.

There you have it.  Like I said, it works well, but it isn't my favorite.  It doesn't leave your clothes with a strong clean smell (but you can always change that by using fabric softener), but it does leave them clean.

Wow! It's September!

Goodness gracious me!  Where has the time gone?  Well, let me tell you.  We spent the summer moving to a new state.  We started with house hunting, which took up most of May.  Then we started moving.  After we moved, the hubby and I celebrated our anniversary, then we started family reunioning.  What?  Family reunioning isn't a word?  Hmmm...I'll think about that.  But the way that we did it, I think that makes it a word.  We had 2.5 family reunions back to back.  How do you have a half of a reunion.  Well, short answer, we had one family reunion that was actually two small ones put together.  Anyway, once we finished family reunioning (yes, I will continue to use that word), we went back to our new house (which also happens to be the first home that we've owned) and tried to get settled.  That plan was interrupted with the sudden death of one of my grandmothers.  I quickly made arrangements for the kids and whisked my baby off to a funeral. I got back in time to get my oldest kids registered for school.  So, then we were busy getting ready for school.  I got them off and ended up getting two more in return twice a week (I'm watching a friend's toddlers for her).  Needless to say, I've been busy.  However, I think I may be getting settled, so I figured it was time to update my loyal fan base (all 6 of you?).  I was able to do a few things here and there in between all the business that I'll share with you over the next few days.

The first I'm going to share with you is a sleep sac.  My oldest's best friend wanted a sleep sac for her birthday.  She's 8.  Her mother asked if I would make her one as our gift.  I've never created a pattern before, so I was a little nervous.  I used a baby sleep sac and one of my oldest's t-shirts as templates.  I then used some plain brown paper to make a three piece pattern.  One piece was for the front, one for the back, and one for the feet.  It didn't turn out exactly as planned (I'm a perfectionist), but it turned out better than I had hoped for (as I mentioned above, I'd never created my own pattern).  So, here we go:

1. First I gathered all of my supplies.  I had my baby sleep sac for guidance.  My brown paper to draw a pattern.  A ruler and straight edge to help me draw my pattern, and obviously a pencil.  I measured my daughter, so that I'd know how long and wide I needed to make the sleep sac.

 2. After drawing out a pattern (don't forget to take into account seam allowance in your measurements), I cut it out.  You can see that I made the foot piece into a football shape.  It needed to be wide in the middle to allow room for feet, but I wanted it to taper at the sides so that it would be easier to attach to the body.  I made my front wider than the back to allow for a zipper.

3.  Before I did anything else, I made notes on my pattern, so that I wouldn't get my pieces mixed up.  I also wanted to remember how much seam allowance there was and which pieces needed to be cut on a fold.

 4.  I sewed my two front pieces to the back (right sides facing in).

5. Once I had the front and back connected, I added the zipper to the front.  It went on quite easy.  It wasn't a full zipper, so then I finished sewing the two front pieces together.

*The next few steps don't have pictures.  I got really excited on how it was turning out and forgot to take anymore.

6.  Next I added the foot piece.  My shape wasn't perfect, so I had to rearrange things as I sewed it to the body.

7. The final step was the arms and neck.  My friend wanted it sleeveless (which was easier for me), so it wasn't too difficult.  Originally, I attempted to using bias tape for the sleeve and neck line to make it look more finished.  It looked awful.  So, I took it all off and just did a simple hem around both arm holes and around the neck.  Much better.  And voila.  We have an 8-year-old size sleep sac.

Look for my upcoming post on homemade laundry detergent.

St. Patrick's Day Decor

I know.  I know.  I'm really late, like 2 weeks late, in posting this.  I'm really sorry.  I had my cute items finished, but Spring Break got the better of me and I haven't posted in weeks.  So, while this is late, you get some ideas for next year.  I already posted my rag wreath, but I also made a plaque and some cute frames.  Here they are with their tutorials:

I have the lucky frames on my mantle and the plaque and subway art on my hearth.

First, I didn't make the subway art.  I found it through pinterest (I have a whole board dedicated to printables, many of which are free subway art).  I bought an 11x14* in frame from Walmart and I just change the subway art in it to suit the holiday or season.  I use Walmart's photo shop to print off my different subway arts and pick them up in store.  It is a cute easy way to decorate.  Here is a link to my pinboard containing printables and a link to eighteen25's blog which has a lot of cute free subway art, including the St. Patrick's day one I used.

Next, let's make a plaque.  It is based on the WWII poster of Keep Calm and Carry On.  You can find the story behind the poster here and the inspiration for my plaque here.  My inspiration is actually a printable, but I didn't like the color of green that was used, so I decided that I'd make one with my cameo and a piece of 12x12 mdf that I had lying around.  The one thing that I would change if I made it again would be to not make a square plaque but rather a rectangular one (I think it would look better and less crowded).

I got my board and placed it in a box atop newspaper.  I gathered my primer and the green paint that I wanted to use.

I primed it first and let it dry.

Then I started on my coats of green, waiting ten minutes between each one (I think I used 3 coats, maybe 4).

Here is the fully coated, dried plaque.

Next I cut my words and shamrock out of white vinyl using my cameo.

I applied the vinyl to the plaque and covered it with a coat of glossy modge podge and voila! a finished product.

The final project is the lucky frames.  I bought 5 unfinished frames at Michael's as well as the letters "L," "U," "C," "K," and "Y."  I painted each of the frames as described above, but with a darker shade of green.  While they were drying I traced each letter on a different piece of green or St. Patrick's Day scrapbook paper (I traced it flipped on the backside).  Next, I mod podged the paper onto the letters and let them dry.

Mod Podged Letters

The next part proved a little tricky for me.  I wanted to attach the letters to the frame, but the were two small to fit atop the frame and too big to fit inside the frame.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I left them sitting on my kitchen counter overnight so I could finish them the next morning.  Well, when I awoke the next morning, lo and behold the craft fairy (aka the hubby) had visited during the night and solved my dilemna by flipping the frames from vertical to horizontal.  Such an easy fix, which I hadn't even contemplated.  So, I pulled out my woodglue and afixed the letters to the frames.

Huh?  Who knew you could flip the direction of a frame?  Thanks Craft Fairy.

Finally, I put the letters atop my mantle in the correct order and they turned out super cute.

Completed frames.

*Edit: I originally posted that I bought an 8x17 in frame for my Subway art.  Well, that just doesn't make sense.  I fixed it to read: 11x14.  Oops!

New Camera

I got a new camera and I'm super excited because I'm hoping that my pictures for my blog posts will turn out better.  I just thought I'd share because I'm betting that you are just as annoyed as I by my blurry, dark shots.  It shoots 14 megapixels as opposed to 4, so here's hoping to better pictures.

St. Patrick's Day Rag Wreath

Well, Valentine's Day is past, so it's time to start getting ready for St. Patrick's Day.  Previously, I've never decorated for the holiday because I figured that we're not Irish, so it doesn't really apply to us (though we still wear green and eat Corned Beef and Cabbage on the actual day).  However, last year at a family reunion, one my uncles, who is retired and widower, informed us after doing a lot of genealogy and family history that, among other things, we are descended from the Irish royal line.  Well, that's enough reason for me to jump on the green wagon (green happens to be my favorite color, so I'm super excited about a reason to decorate my house with green).

As usually happens, I was on Pinterest and saw this cute St. Patrick's Day Rag Wreath that The Magic of Ordingary Things made.  I was inspired to make my own (since I need a new wreath for my door...I can't keep my Valentine's Day one up all year, can I?).  I searched through my fabric scraps, but unfortunately, I didn't have a lot green (not enough variety for a rag wreath).  So, off to Hancock Fabric I went.  I got 1/4 yard each of 7 different fabrics to add to the 2 I already had at home for a total of 9 different patterns.  I cut the strips with my pinking shears (I didn't want to tear them) an inch apart (using the entire 9 inch width).  I ended up using 12 strips of each fabric.  I searched through my closet and found an old wire hanger, which I untwisted and shaped into a circle (I didn't measure the diameter, I just shaped it until I liked how it looked).  Then, I just tied each strip on until the circle was tightly filled.  Finally, I added a length of cute green polka dot ribbon (from Walmart) to hang it.  What do you think (I haven't decided yet if I like the length of my strips; 9 in may be too long, however, that is an easy fix)?

Supplies (plus I used ribbon)

My wire circle and a cut strip.  Just tie them right on.

The finished project up close

Another view of the finished wreath

DIY Pottery Barn Valentine's Felt Envelopes Tutorial

Okay, so I know that Valentine's Day was a couple of weeks ago and I apologize for the tardiness of this post.  I didn't finish these envelopes until the night before at around 9:00 pm and by then it was already too late for someone else to go and make one for Valentines this year anyway.  We've had the yucks at our house for a little while now (first it was Princess #3, then me, then Princess #2), so posting wasn't at the  top of my priorities list.  But now I am posting and you'll have a cute little tutorial to come back to next year if you decide you want to make one.

Enough with the blabbing.  You don't even know what I'm talking about yet.  Do you?  While looking through Pinterest, I came upon these cute Felt Envelopes.  Imagine my dismay when I clicked on the link and it wasn't actually a tutorial.  The person had bought them at Pottery Barn.  They were super cute, so I decided that I could make them myself and share that with you.  So, here you go.

Steps 1 & 2 - First I bought my felt.  I think I bought 1/2 yard of white and a little red (for the heart).  Next I measured my kitchen chairs to be an idea of how big I wanted my envelopes to be.  I decided on 13 x 17 1/2 inches.  I cut two rectangles with my pinking shears to my measurements (you can use a rotary cutter, but I was going for the more scalloped look like in the original).

The first one I made, I cut out my 2 rectangles with my rotary cutter, then pinned them together and cut them with my pinking shears.  On the other two, I found this wasn't necessary and just cut each rectangle with the shears.

Step 3 - Measure the center of your envelope (only the front piece).  You need to make a diagonal line from the center to each of the top corners and cut out the triangle (thus creating the front of your envelope).

On the first one, I forgot to cut out my triangle before I started weaving my ribbon.  Oops!  Pretend like there isn't any ribbon here.

Step 4 - I really liked the red lining on the envelope, so this is the next step (you can always skip this step for a plainer, simpler envelope).  I was just going to sew it with red thread, then realized that it wouldn't have the bold effect that I wanted (you would hardly be able to see it).  Fortunately I had some thin red ribbon the same color as my red felt (I had bought them together with extra red felt for a separate project that I didn't end up doing).  So, I cut small slits (wide enough for the ribbon) about 1/2 an inch in from the edge and from each other all around the front piece of the envelope.  Next you will  thread your ribbon around the envelope to create the cute envelope look (in my other envelopes I actually used yarn because the ribbon was a little too thick for my liking).

I used a quilters marker to mark my spots and then just snipped (sorry for the blurriness, my camera is getting old, but I'm getting a new one)

This is how your front piece will look when weaving is complete

Step 5 - Sew your front piece to the back piece of your envelope on the outside of your ribbon/yarn (I made sure that I sewed the ends of my ribbon at the same to keep them from coming out of the envelope).  Remember that you are only sewing three sides, NOT the top.

Pretend the flap isn't on (I forgot to take pictures of the last few steps as I was doing them, so I had to take them at the end)

Step 6 - Now we need to make the flap for the envelope.  I decided that I wanted it to hang about 2/3s of the way down my envelope (you want it past the middle so that it "closes" all the way).  I made a triangle with my pinking shears that was a little wider than my envelope (remember it was approx. 17 in at this point) and about 8 or 9 inches long at the tip.  You will then create the lining for it like in Step 4.

The flap (pretend there isn't a lopsided heart)

Step 7 - After completing the "weaving" on the flap, you need to attach it to the actual envelope.  Just lay it right-side up on the front side of the evelope and sew the two tops together (you will actually be sewing it to the backside of the envelope since you cut out a triangle from the top part).

Step 8 - Finishing touches.  Cut a heart from the coordinating felt (in my case red) and sew it to the flap of your envelope.  Voila.  You're done.  I didn't actually make the straps to attach it to the chair because I ran out of time, so I'll do that next year.  However, if you can't figure that out on your own, I'd suggest cutting two strips from your coordinating felt and either sewing or hot-gluing them to the back of your envelope.  I think I will add magnets to the ends of mine to hold them togather, but you could do buttons, velcro or even just tie them in a bow.  Enjoy.

The finished project (I need to redo the heart, so pretend that it isn't crooked)

And since I have 3 Little Princesses, I have three different envelopes (I like yarn weave in the red and pink ones better than the ribbon in the white)

If you have any questions, let me know.

ZigZag French Braid

My Princess #1 has long beautiful hair and on mornings when we aren't rushed (like Sundays), she lets me experiment with her hair.  A few weeks ago I had the idea of zigzagging a french braid across her head.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it was a success.  I took the top part of her hair and French braided it from right to left. When I reached the left side of her head, I gently reversed the direction of the braid (this was the most complicated part) and went back to the right side. I continued the process until I didn't have any more hair left to add to the braid, then I braided the remainder of the hair.  I wasn't sure what to do with it next.  I looked weird if I just let it hang down her back and there was a big empty spot on her scalp, so I twisted the remainder of her hair into a bun in the empty spot and pinned it into place.  It turned out quite cute (and Princess #1 felt pretty cool getting to wear her hair like that to church).