Friday, August 2, 2013

Effective home treatments for the Eyes


Effective home treatments for the delicate, sensitive skin around the eyes



The skin around the eyes is very delicate. Unlike the skin on the rest of the face, it is very thin and does not have as many muscle fibers, which is why it is the place where the first wrinkles appear. This part of the face requires a good deal of care. Here are several home treatments that are safe and good for your eyes and you don't have to spend lots on those products that you don't trust.




Green tea and cucumber mask for tired eyes







Ingredients:


½ of cucumber


1 bag of green tea


Boil the tea and cool it. Peel the cucumber and slice it in circles. Add the circles to the green tea brew. Refrigerate until chilled. Place the cool, tea-soaked slices of cucumber onto your eyes for 10 minutes. No rinsing required.


Calming and hydrating potato mask for puffy eyes


Ingredients:


½ of raw potato


1 tablespoon of moisturizer for sensitive skin


Finely shred the potato and mix with the moisturizer. Spread mixture on cotton makeup removal pads and place over eyes for 10 minutes. Rinse with cold water.


Whipped cream and parsley poultice for better circulation and less puffiness


Ingredients:


2 teaspoons of whipped cream


1 teaspoon of fresh parsley


2 small pieces of gauze


Finely chop parsley and mix with whipped cream. Wrap mixture in two pieces of gauze to form poultice. Place over the eyes for 10-15 minutes.


Salvia compress for night-time care







Ingredients:


1 teaspoon of salvia


½ cup of water


Bring water to boil and add salvia. Let boil for 10 more minutes. Divide the brew into two bowls and put one of them in the refrigerator. Dip cotton balls or makeup removal pads in hot solution and place on eyes for 10 minutes. Repeat with cotton balls dipped in cold solution for another 10 minutes.


Instead of salvia you can use chamomile or dill seeds.


Nourishing mask with avocado and almond oil


Ingredients:


5 drops of almond oil


3 slices of avocado


Blend avocado with olive oil and spread directly around the eyes. Leave on for 5 minutes and rinse with cool water.


Egg yolk and honey mask against wrinkles




Ingredients:


1 egg yolk


2 tablespoons of honey


Blend ingredients and apply as a mask taking care to avoid contact with the eye. Leave on for 5-10 minutes and rinse.


Lavender seed poultice for tired, puffy eyes







Ingredients:


2 pieces of cloth (silk or synthetic)


2 teaspoons of dry lavender


20 drops of lavender oil


Rice or flax seed


Make little bags of the cloth. Blend the rest of the ingredients to form a smooth paste. Fill bags with it and sew or tie the opening. Keep them refrigerated in a plastic container and bring them out only when you need to use them. The bags can be reused multiple times, but lavender oil needs to be replenished when necessary.







Soy flour and lanolin mask against dark circles


Ingredients:


1 teaspoon of lanolin


1 ½ teaspoon of almond oil


1 teaspoon of soy flour


1 teaspoon of cold water


Heat lanolin to soften and add almond oil. Remove from heat when it thickens into a paste. Add soy flour and cold water. Mix thoroughly. Apply as a mask for a few minutes and rinse.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Simple Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe!


So I am guilty of buying the ready to go detergent brands like Tide, Purex, and All. I've been wanting to make my own homemade laundry detergent for almost a year now but was afraid it was too difficult to do. After talking with a daughter of mine who also decided to make some and gave me a sample of what she made, I was determined to at least try it. I went to Walmart all bought all my
I have found several recipes and so I am now going to be trying them.


 Ingredients:

Here’s the supplies I used and how much they cost at my Walmart:
1-5 Gallon Buckets $2.97
1-5 Gallon Bucket top $1.17
1-Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda $3.24
1-Borax $3.38
1-Oxy Clean or Bix booster@ 6.97-12.97 a box
1-Downy Unstoppables $6.97 or 1.2-1 ounce of pure essential oils of your choice, (I like a fresh clean or flowery citrus scent in ours but I change it with the seasons.)
1-Fels Naptha Laundry Soap $0.97



Now you can substitute other laundry soap or even use Ivory Bar Soap. You also don’t have to use the Downy Unstoppables and can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. My daughter made hers with essential oils but with this batch I decided to use the Downy crystals.

You will need:
1 bar of Fels Naptha Laundry Soap (or Ivory or other laundry soap)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing
1/2 cup baking soda(works as a water softener and booster)
1/2 cup BIZ or Oxy Clean if you want to add it, or Just use a scoop with this soap when you do laundry, if you have really sensitive skin you might want to omit.
Grater
Sauce Pan
Hand held electric mixer/blender (optional)

Step 1: Cut Fels Naptha Soap into pieces. Take each piece and grate it into a small bowl.


Step 2: Pour 6 cups of hot water and the grated Fels Naptha Soap into a pot. Do NOT let it boil.
Step 3: Once the soap is melted add your Borax and Super Washing Soda to the pan. Stir until it’s all dissolved, then remove from heat.
When I mixed my melted Soap on the Stove top I used a hand mixer shown here

Step 4: Pour 4 Cups of Hot Water into your bucket and then add your mixture from your pan to the bucket. Stir together. This is when you will add your essential oil or for my own example the Downy Unstoppables.
Step 5: Now add a gallon of hot water (16 cups) and stir. Then add enough of hot water to fill the 5 gallon bucket and stir again, using a handle of your broom or your arm with long cleaning gloves if you are sensitive.
Step 6: Let sit overnight. In the morning when you open the bucket don’t freak out if it looks bad, it’s suppose to and will vary based on your location, weather, climate etc.
Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry!

Here is a container you can use for most laundry detergent, the leftover I keep in the bucket. I have one of these in my kitchen fridge for water but it may get a new use come this fall.
Or you can just save your old soap container you have now and as soon as it is empty refill it with your new soap. I did ;)
Then Label it and use as needed. This cleans really well I get stains out even in cold water.
For really deep set stains I make  stain remover too.


Homemade Laundry Detergent Granules for Sensitive Skin

I have kids who were always sensitive to soaps so I had to be careful what I bought to wash clothes
So finally I found soap making 101 and starting making good laundry soap and save money and save sensitive skin at the same time, WONDER MOM to the rescue always

I am tired of spending $$$ on soap and cleaners and wondering what is in it aren't YOU? So I decided to start going back to basics and saving money plus I am using what my Grandma used years ago with maybe one new thing thrown in for improvement and I am much happier with my products now.
 I make about a year's worth of laundry detergent for $15.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Materials Needed:

2 bar Felz Naptha Laundry Soap Grated@.97 each
2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda@3.47 box
2 cup Dry Powdered Borax.@3.87 a box
2 cups of BIZ
2 cups baking soda

***
1.Grate 2 bars Felz Naptha Laundry Soap. I bought a cheap cheese grater and plastic shoe box from dollar store and use exclusively for grating the soap and storing my soap making tools.***See notes below

2. Add in other powdered ingredients. I also bought a cheap measuring cup from dollar store that I use exclusively for soap making because Borax is toxic to ingest.

2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
2 cup Dry Powdered Borax.
2 cups of BIZ
2 cups plain ole baking soda


3. Put in an air-tight container or it will harden with big clumps.

4: Mix together well. The air tight container will prove even more useful because you can put the lid on and just shake. If you are making a double batch you may have to stir just a bit.

5. Use 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp for an extra Large Load in a Non High Efficiency Washer (see below if you have High efficiency washer). Experiment with a load of towels to see if you can get away with just using 1 1/2 TBSP in your washer.


Troubleshooting:
*If you grate the fels naptha soap pieces too big they won't dissolve, so do not rush this step. A friend tried this recipe and she said she used her food processor but the pieces were too big and did not dissolve.

*I have heard some people complain it doesn't melt in cold water, but since I ONLY use cold water to wash clothes the temp of the water is not the problem. If the soap flakes are not dissolving, you are not using enough water and/or stuffing your washer to full. High Efficiency washers do not use as much water as older washers. If you have a high efficiency washer you will need to use less detergent and maybe even look for a similar wet version of this detergent.

Laundry--Ways to Keep It Clean, Naturally

Ways to Keep It Clean, Naturally

Natural Solutions for a Spic-and-Span Summer
I know most of you hate doing laundry, I on the other hand have always enjoyed my laundry, (I do hate folding though)so here are some helpful, healthy and enlightening ideas to make it a happier chore.


To clean your clothes without chemicals, try these stain-removal ideas from Green This!:

1. Head for the Arm & Hammer. Make a paste out of baking soda and water, apply it to the stain and let it sit for an hour before washing.

2. Squeeze a lemon. Lemon juice contains citric acid; its bleaching action works especially well on white fabrics and sweat stains. Make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and leave it on the stain for half an hour before washing.

3. Pinch the peroxide. Watered-down hydrogen peroxide – half peroxide, half water – also removes tough stains, even blood, from white fabrics. (Tip: One hundred percent peroxide is not sold in drugstores; instead it’s sold as a 3% solution – 3% hydrogen peroxide; 97% water. The 3% solution is what you want to mix equally with water… not the 100% solution.) This will work on most fabrics, but do a test spot first.

4. Dab, don’t rub. Always blot a stain before trying to remove it. Work from the edges to the center, which will keep the stain from spreading.

5. For ketchup, blood, grass, fruit juice, and sweat stains – Rub distilled white vinegar right onto the stain, suggests Kipling Rutherford, spokeswoman for Ecover (ecover.com), which produces environmentally-friendly cleaning products. Let sit a few minutes before washing.

6. Oil or grease (e.g. from salad dressing) – Rub on dishwashing liquid and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before washing.

7. Grass – Use an old toothbrush to rub whitening toothpaste onto the stain. Let sit overnight, then wash.

8. Blood – Make a paste of cool water and meat tenderizer (unseasoned). Apply to the stain, then let sit 15 to 30 minutes before washing.

9. Ketchup – Soak a fresh stain in cool water for 10 minutes, rub in liquid detergent, then wash.


Moldy Towels
10. Add a few drops of clove, lemon or eucalyptus essential oil to the rinse cycle, Imus suggests.

11. Rutherford recommends soaking the towel in distilled white vinegar, diluted with water for 10 to 20 minutes. Let your nose determine the formula: The nastier the mildew smell, the more vinegar (and less water) you’ll need. Then, machine wash in hot water and line dry.

Stinky Swimsuits
12. In a perfect world, you would rinse your swimsuit in cold water immediately after a swim in the ocean or a chlorinated pool. But in reality, your suit probably sat in a wet pile and is now stiff and smelly.

Try Imus’s method for washing delicates:
Put a dime-size amount of nontoxic laundry liquid (see our product picks below) in a stainless steel bucket, then fill the bucket with warm water.
Dip your suit in several times. If the fabric is stained, or the smell is really rank, soak it in the mixture overnight.
Don’t wring the suit out; just pat dry with a towel and hang it on a wooden drying rack. If you’re using non-toxic detergent, there’s no need to rinse.
13. To salvage a swimsuit, Rutherford recommends a solution of one gallon of water and ½ cup white vinegar. Dip your suit in the solution, then rinse in cold water. Soak it for a minute or two in the solution if need be, but if you leave it in longer, the vinegar could damage the suit’s delicate fabric.

Laundry List
Follow these quick tips to keep your laundry clean and fresh, no matter how hard you play.

Bright On
14. To brighten white linens, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle, and launder as usual in warm water. For best results, hang them to dry outside: the sun will increase the whitening effect.

15. Imus recommends using a cup of vinegar added to the wash can keep colors bright. (Caution: Don’t use vinegar if you are using bleach; the resulting fumes are hazardous.)

Sweet Stuff
16. Add a few drops of essential oil to the rinse cycle, Imus suggests in Green This!. Try fir, spruce, lavender, cedarwood, wintergreen, or rosewood.

17. Ecover recommends storing linens in a drawer with homemade cheesecloth sachets filled with crushed dried lavender or your favorite herb.

Soften Up
18. Add a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle or 1/4 cup of baking soda to the wash cycle, Imus advises.

I also like homemade laundry detergent
which I have a page on making your own
and here is another recipe that I just made up for sensitive skin

Clean those pans

You know how your cookie sheets and baking pans become grimy no matter how you try to clean them right?

Well here's How to clean your cookie sheets--Kitchen "Miracle" Cleaner!
All you need is baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and some water
You put about 1/4 cup of
baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a

nice paste. Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease...whatever! You can

usually just use your fingers...but you can also use a small sponge as well.

Cool Can Wind Chimes

Cool Can Chimes
Kids and even ME like to make things, and I love Wind chimes so I am always thinking what kind can I make. These are easy cheap and very pretty, I add some bells and other noise makers to mine for added tinkle. So start saving different size cans that will stack together and get some bright summer paints.

Here's how to give metal cans a mod (and musical!) makeover.
Remove the lid and label from four or five empty cans, then wash and dry them.
Choose cans that will nest together as a set, as shown.
Use a hammer and nail to poke a hole in the bottom of each.
Paint the outsides with white primer and let it dry, then cover with one or two coats of colored acrylic paint. Beginning with the largest, stack the cans.

Measure a length of heavyweight string (we used cotton) equal to the height of the cans, plus 3 feet. Knot a wooden ring onto one end of the string. I add different bells to some of mine.
Thread the other end up through the hole in the smallest can.

Decide how low you want the can to hang, slide it up the string, tie a big knot, and slide the can down again until it rests on the knot. Add the other cans in the same way, making sure they overlap slightly so they'll chime. From the excess string, form a hanging loop (ours is 10 inches long) above the largest can.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Clean the soap scum and mineral deposits out of your Washer

Instead of buying those washing machine cleaners at the store that last time I looked cost almost $10.00 for a box; Fill the washer with HOT water. Add 1 quart of chlorine bleach - no detergent – and

let the machine agitate for a minute, then let it sit for one hour. After one hour,

allow the washer to run through its longest wash and spin cycle. Immediately fill the

washer with HOT water again and add 1 quart distilled white vinegar. Let agitate for a

minute, and again, let it sit for one hour.

Using the bleach and vinegar will clean away bacteria, soap scum and mineral deposits

from the wash basket and hoses. This is especially important if you live in a hard

water area and should be done every three months. Every washer should be cleaned at

least twice per year. While it is soaking, dip a scrubber sponge in the vinegar water

and detail all the nooks and crannies of your washer, including the knobs, the lid and

the exterior. After an hour, run the longest wash and spin cycle again.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

How to crochet a hexagon step by step Tutorial




This tutorial is being shared

The hexagon is bang on trend right now, and this versatile motif can be used in a number of different projects. In this tutorial you will learn how to make a crochet hexagon table runner. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to crochet, follow our series of Crochet Fundamentals. This pattern uses US terms and stitches include single crochet (sc); single crochet 3 together (sc3tog); double crochet (dc); treble crochet (tr); treble crochet 3 together (tr3tog); slip stitch (sl st) and chain (ch).


Supplies
Yarn (I use Drops Paris cotton yarn by Garnstudio in complementary colours)
A crochet hook
A darning needle for sewing in the ends
A pair of scissors
Click here to learn more about essential crochet tools
1. Crochet the Hexagons
Step 1

Crochet enough hexagons for your table runner design. In this tutorial I made 17 hexagons. To learn how to make a hexagon, check out our tutorial here (with video): How To Crochet a Hexagon.
2. Join your Hexagons
Step 1

Now that you have your hexagons, it’s time to crochet them together into one big piece. Lay out your hexagons in a design that you like.
Step 2

To crochet the squares together: grab two and put them wrong side together; then single crochet along the sides through the inside loops only. This creates a nice ridge. If you prefer something a little more flat, you can try slip stitching them together. Use a color that complements the hexagons; I chose off-white to join my hexagons.

I joined my hexagons from top to bottom first; then I crocheted the horizontal sides together. Sew in the ends after this step.
3. Crochet the Border
Step 1

Now that all your hexagons are joined, it’s time to put a border around them. This gives your piece a nice finished look. Again, choose colors that will complement your hexagon piece. I chose off-white and sand as the colors for my border.

Start on any side, and in the back loops only, single crochet your way around the piece. When you get to a corner, work 1 single crochet in the first chain of the chain 2 space of the corner, chain 1, then work 1 single crochet in the next chain.

Continue until you reach a ‘valley’; work 1 single crochet in the first chain of the chain 2 space; work 1 single crochet through both second chains of the left and right hexagon; then work 1 single crochet in the second chain of the chain 2 space of the next hexagon. Continue like this around the entire piece and fasten off.
Step 2

With a new color, start on any side with a standing stitch (begin with a slip knot on your hook and begin from there). We’re going to go around the piece using treble crochets. When you get to a corner, work 1 treble crochet in the chain 1 space from the previous round, chain 1 and work another treble crochet in the same space.

Continue until you reach the ‘valley’; work 1 tr3tog in the next 3 stitches. To make a tr3tog stitch, do the following: *yarn over twice, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, (yarn over, draw through 2 loops) twice, repeat from * two more times, yarn over, draw through all loops on hook. You’re crocheting 3 treble crochet stitches together with this stitch. Make sure the middle stitch goes through the center single crochet in the valley from the previous round. Continue like this around the entire piece and fasten off.
Step 3

With the same color as step 1, start on any side. We’re going to go around the piece using single crochets again. When you get to a corner, work 1 single crochet in the chain 1 space from the previous round, chain 1 and work another single crochet in the same space.

Continue until you reach the ‘valley’; work 1 sc3tog in the next 3 stitches. To make a sc3tog stitch, do the following: *insert your hook in next stitch, yarn over, pull loop through stitch* 3 times (4 loops on hook), yarn over and draw yarn through all 4 loops on hook. You’re crocheting 3 single crochet stitches together with this stitch. Make sure the middle stitch goes through the tr3tog stitch from the previous round. Continue like this around the entire piece and fasten off.
Step 4

Fasten off (weave in) any yarn ends your piece might have.

Now crochet your own project, table runner, afghan !!

Tahiti tropical crochet flower

Tahiti tropical crochet flower
Today I found a pattern for this quick easy pretty tropical flower
Enjoy


Use a 2mm hook and 4ply yarn


Begin with 8 chain and join with a sl st.

Round 1: 1 chain then into the base ring do 1 dc, [ do 3 ch, then into base ring do 1 dtr, 3 ch, 1dc into base ring] Pull stitches close to form a neat petal. Repeat 6x more to make 7 petals. Sl st into first dc.

Round 2: Sl st into each of next three chain and the dtr stitch below. [12 ch, 1tr into 9th chain from hook, 3 ch, sl st to top of next dtr below which is the top of the next petal.] Repeat 6x more and there will be 7 petals. The final sl st goes into the 1st chain stitch not the dtr stitch below.

Round 3: Work 3 sl st . * Do 3ch, [then into 8 chain space below do 1 tr, 3 ch] x4 Then Sl st into treble stitch below. Work 3 sl st down the chain towards the tip of the inner petal, then 3 sl st back up the chain away from the inner petal. *

Repeat from * to * 6x more. After seven petals do just 3 sl st and stop where the round began.

Round 4: [Do 3 dc into each of the next three chain spaces.
Into next chain space do 1 dc, 1 htr, 1dtr, 1 htr, 1 dc,


Do 3 dc into each of the next three chain spaces] Repeat 6x more so all 7 petals are done. Sl st and cast off.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Clean your sink- eco-friendly way



If your kitchen sink is a bit dingy, then make it look just like new with eco-friendly materials you already have in your kitchen. And there's no scrubbing involved with this quick clean that basically costs nothing to make. Safely buff your way to a fresh and sparkling basin that will stay that way for weeks.




What You'll Need:




Sponge

Baking soda
Vinegar
Lemon or orange peel
Olive oil
Paper towel
Directions:
*Give your sink a quick wash and rinse, removing all dishes and any food bits from the drain. Then sprinkle the entire sink with baking soda and use a soft sponge, working in a circular movement, to scrub the basin. Baking soda softly cleans without scratching stainless steel.
*Rinse the sink with vinegar, which will bubble and fizz. Vinegar naturally disinfects while helping remove hard water stains from your stainless steel sink. Then lightly rub with the sponge and rinse the sink with water. You can also drop a garbage disposal refreshing bomb down the drain to keep the entire sink smelling fresh.
*Put lemon or orange peel to good use, and rub the entire sink basin with a section of peel, rubbing the skin against the stainless steel, which helps deodorize the sink while helping the basin keep its new shine.
*Finish by buffing with a paper towel and a touch of olive oil. Your sink will stay wonderfully shiny for several weeks before needing a refresher.