You can have the sexiest LIPS around-here's how

Let`s face it – lips are sexy! If you want them even sexier try this technique, which will make them look gorgeous









1. Cover your lips with nude powder or any other type of makeup base.


2. Use a bright lip liner to line the lips


3. Apply your favourite lipstick cover. You will notice the coverage is better than, when using it on bare lips


4. Add some lip gloss and you are now a real temptation.


The good news is that it when you apply lipstick using this method, it will last for longer.

One of the most common conversations I have with clients is about lipstick. Every woman who has ever sought out to purchase cosmetics knows the power and excitement that a new lip color can provide: It is an inexpensive, cheap thrill that can brighten any rainy day or lift any melancholy mood.
Lipsticks come in all shades, textures, pigments, finishes, and formulas. So how do you know what is best for you? With so many brands and colors to choose from, here are 5 simple tips for flawless lips:
1. Create a visual. See a lip color you like or want to try in a magazine? Rip the photo right out and keep it in your purse. That way when you are shopping for new lipstick you can have photos easily accessible.

Product Pick: I love Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids in Pink Pop and Fuchsia Flash.

2. Play with the finish. You really don't know what you prefer until you try it. Test sheer textures all the way to matte finishes. See what feels best on your lips and find what would be most comparable to your daily makeup routine.
3. Experiment with color. Always wanted to try a red lipstick? Look at a few different shades of red from blue undertones to orange undertones. Find what looks best with your skin tone and the level of color you are most comfortable with. The same goes for all shades when looking for the right tone, from pinks, to berries and mauves.

Quick Tip: "You can easily turn a bold colored lip into a more sheer tone by blending a small amount of lipstick on the lips with your fingers. Apply a lip balm, such as Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 on top for moisture and you have two great ways to wear one lip color!"

4. Ask an expert. Makeup artists come with a wide range of knowledge when it comes to products and color. If you are shopping at a makeup counter, don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion. You can always learn from the pros and walk away with a few new and exciting recommendations.
5. Exfoliate and condition. Once you've picked your favorite color, exfoliating and conditioning are the most important things to do when it comes to lips. Exfoliate the lips gently with a quality lip scrub, to get all the dead skin cells off. Then follow up with a conditioning and hydrating lip balm. This is best to do at night before bed.

Quick Tip: “Take a small amount of petroleum jelly and mix with white table sugar. Apply all over the lips in a scrubbing motion and rinse with warm water. Apply your favorite Kiehl's lip balm on top for added moisture.”

The most important tip of all? Whether you opted for a sheer nude or a shocking pink, the most beautiful accessory of all is a smile!

Chocolate Candy Ornament

Chocolate Candy Ornament

These are just too cute, I can think of other ways to use them such as a birthday party or a bridal shower, just done in different colors.

How would you like to make some chocolate candy? What? You don't cook? Hmmm....don't worry this chocolate candy ornament calorie free ;)

First of all, I purchased glass ball ornaments at the end of the season last year, knowing I wanted to make these as gifts for friends and family, this year....but you can find cheap ones even at the holidays if you're careful and use coupons to shop. aka Hobby Lobby does a 40% off one item each week.


Next whip out the glue gun, load that thing up and keep the sticks handy, because this step will take a lot of sticks. Begin by taking the little metal hanger thing out, so you can stick a pencil (eraser side down) into the ornament to keep it steady.

Next, start right along the top and glob on the glue, letting it run, working your way around the entire ornament, until you've got something that looks like this:



I like to do several at a time because really, who doesn't have a zillion yellow no. 2 pencils laying around, when you have school age kids Hu? I use the pencils as a cooling rack and stuck them where ever I can find a place until they cool....the glue looks cloudy when it's cool







Now you are ready to paint. I highly recommend this type of spray paint, because it is a specialty paint, that has the perfect shade of brown...I haven't tried regular spray paint, but this is the perfect chocolate brown.



Now you can be done or if you want to be more creative...

So, I use Mod Podge to coat the runny area only

Quickly sprinkle sugar looking glitter on

And well, you could really leave it looking like this...it looks really cute with a little bit of sugar on top...

I look

So with little red crafty berries

and crushed PLASTIC peppermint sticks



I decorated the top of the chocolate ornament...I did a random gluing of the berries and candy cane, you can do as much or as little as you want....

add a little ribbon string and bow in the cutest check ribbon

Don't pay any attention to the glue strings,You can remove those later after everything is dry

Burlap CANDLE keeps

burlap candle keeps!

came across this cute crafty idea in my email today thought I would show how to make them

Here's what you need for today's burlap idea - not much apart from some battery operated candles, burlap and needle and thread along with some embellishments like rusty stars, snowflakes, etc.

Cut out rectangles of burlap according to the size of your candles - you need to make sure your candle is showing above the top of the pocket - I just placed the candle on the burlap and left enough for a seam at the sides and bottom.

Now take your heavy thread and needle and sew around the base and sides to make a pocket of burlap and turn right side out.

And voila, you have a little burlap sack to pop a candle into!! I then turned down the top a little to make it more like a sack.

Here's the fun part - you can add whatever your imagination comes up with to adorn the front of the pocket.
I stitched on JOY to the muslin and added it to this pocket~

A rusty star and pip berry with jute to secure it to this one~



source unknown
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DIY: Grow Green Onions in a Jar

Bet you didn't realize that you can grow these green onions right in a jar in your kitchen!!

Supposedly you just need at least 1/2 inch of root to grow and they should keep growing about 3-4 more times after you keep cutting them. I’m guessing sooner or later they’ll stop growing because they need more nutrients than the water can provide. But this is an AWESOME way to have plenty of green onions for a month and save money!









Mine just sat on the kitchen counter that doesn’t get any direct sunshine. Make sure you change the water every other day or so.

So there’s your way-too-easy-to-be-considered-a-project Burlap Bag project. Never throw away the ends of your green onions again!

My onions are GROWING!!

Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again

You know celery is good for us? They say it burns up more calories eating a stalk than the amount of calories that is in that 1 stalk! Did you know this?
Its also good for these things so they say...So I am eating it.



Then not only is this green stuff (so everything green is good right,) good for us but did you know you can grow it indoors and it's a pretty plant as well, and good for the air we breath, how great is that?

Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again

I think the never buy celery again is a bit over done because you would use this pretty fast, but it's a pretty plant to have in the kitchen. ;)

Yes You can regrow celery from it's base.

We've figured out how to literally re-grow organic celery from the base of the bunch we bought from the store a couple weeks ago.

simply chop the celery stalks from the base of the celery you bought from the store and use as you normally would. 

This I found at http://www.17apart.com

Instead of tossing the base, rinse it off and place it in a small saucer or bowl of warm water on or near a sunny windowsill — base side down and cut stalks facing upright.

We let our celery base hang out in the saucer of water for right around one week, give or take. Over the course of the week, the surrounding stalks began to dry out significantly, but the tiny little yellow leaves from the center of the base began thickening, growing up and out from the center, and turned a dark green. The growth was slow, but steady and evident.

 

After the 5-7 days were complete, we transferred our celery base to a planter and covered it completely save for the leaf tips with a mixture of dirt and potting soil.

We watered it generously and after planting in the soil, the overall growth really took off. Not only do we have celery leaves regenerating themselves from the base, but you can see clear stalks making their way up and out. It's truly fascinating what we have not even a week after planting in the soil:

 

A few notes:

• Change out the water every couple of days while in the "saucer" phase of the project. We also used a spray bottle to spray water directly onto the base of the celery where the leaves were growing out. 
• The tutorials we saw showed planting the celery directly into the dirt outside — you may want to go this route if you live in a temperate area or want to be able to harvest outdoors. We went with an indoor planter since it's still pretty cold here in VA, we have limited outdoor space in the city, and the space we do have is currently unprotected from our curious puppy.
• Continue to generously water the celery after planting to keep it thriving.

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Update 1: After a few more weeks of growing time in our sunny window, our celery has continued to thrive. The leaves have grown out generously and bushy and the celery stalks underneath have really taken shape:

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Update 2: Here's how we are looking at almost 3-4 weeks of growth:

Find the full 3-4 week update with even more pics and details on the progress in this post.

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Update 3: Here's how we are looking at almost 5 months of growth, still indoors and still in the same planter:

At this stage, we've been actually been able to cut off stalks as needed in recipes and the celery continues to regenerate leafy stalks from the center of the plant. Find the full 5 month update with even more pics and details on the progress in this post.

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For anyone wondering about the planter, we made it by recycling a tin of steel cut oats we'd since finished. We simply cleaned it out well, then punctured holes along the base to create drainage for the plant.

We placed a thin layer of mulch at the base to help with drainage, followed by a thick layer of dirt/potting soil mixture. After placing the celery base snugly in the planter, we filled the remaining space with more dirt/potting soil to completely cover the celery base. We kept the top to the oats tin and flipped it over to place the new planter on top of it — the lid is a perfect custom fit to the base and catches any runoff from regular watering

So now I am growing celery too! Oh yes and Onions, I will add that to my blog as well here soon.

Here is my celery after just a few days, I'm so proud

DIY: Household Cleaners

DIY: Household Cleaners

Here at our house and a couple of my daughter's houses we have all decided to make our own laundry soap and some cleaners, this is something my grandmother actually taught me years ago. She said we didn't need lots of fancy, money stealing cleaners and that good old basics was better, easier and cheaper and why not save money for other things ( like shoes, purses, bling) We make our own homemade cleaning products using natural ingredients! Not only is it much, much healthier, but it is also a lot cheaper (even with using coupons on pre-made cleaners).

We are going to be making 23 cleaning products and your shopping list is below. It will cost around $12 for the ingredients and most all of the ingredients will make several batches for that $12 too!

Here’s what we will be making:

Be sure to check out my blog on uses for Vinegars(it cleans everything all by itself)Recipes to follow

Floor cleaners for different floor types
Anti-bacterial Cleaning Wipes
Mold and Mildew Remover
Vacuum Cleaner Deodorizer
Fruit and Veggie Wash
Glass/Window Cleaner
Antibacterial Cleaner
Bathroom Scrub
Air Deodorizer
Stain Remover
Kitchen/Food Area disinfectant
Drain Cleaners
Toilet Cleaners
Carpet/Car deodorizer
Garbage Disposer Cleaner
Handsoap
Sensitive/Baby Laundry detergent
Regular Laundry detergent
Dishwasher Soap
Dish Soap
All-Purpose Cleaner
Fabric Softener
Dishwasher/Washing Machine Cleaner

Now please note, there are only 9 ingredients plus essential oils (which really are essential for these cleaners and worth every penny in our cheap essential oils post HERE) to make all of the above! We hope your home, family and health will be much improved and appreciate these products!

Also, after the home cleaning, we will be sharing our homemade personal care and also many medicine replacements in the future. It is too much to share here. Let’s get cleaning out of the way first!

Here’s your shopping list that you can just print off and grab quickly at Walmart or other local stores!


Homemade Cleaning Products List


You can use this list of items needed to make your own homemade cleaning products. From this list, you will be able to make 23 natural homemade cleaning products for the cost of less than $12 at Walmart everyday.

We also have a list of other recommended items you may want to have on hand too!

You can also use this list at any other store and as your price point to beat. Many of these items may be found in the dollar store.

Please note, all of the prices listed are based on our local Walmart's prices.

Also, please note that most of these will make several batches of the cleaning product that we will be sharing!


Each bar of Castile Soap - $1.13Castile bar soap 3-pk for $3.38 (found in the hand soap section)



Bar soaps for Laundry as low as - $0.39Bar Soaps Needed for homemade laundry detergents (you pick which one you want!)


Pure Ivory Bar Soap (for baby and more sensitive skin) 10-pk for $3.97 or 3 bars for $1.24 (found in the bar soaps section of Walmart)
Zote Large 14.1 oz for .97 (top shelf next to laundry detergents)
Fels Naptha .97 (found on laundry aisle, but near specialty laundry products)


Borax - $3.38Borax (Found in the laundry section near specialty products) 78 oz. for $3.38


Washing Soda - $3.24Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer located in laundry section near specialty laundry products) 55 oz. for $3.24


Coarse Salt as low as - $1.12Coarse Salt (these will make many, many batches)


Morton Ice Cream Salt and then blended to make it a little finer 4 lbs. in grocery section/spices aisle for $1.12
Morton Coarse Kosher Salt $1.68 for 48 oz. (3 lbs.)




Kool-Aid as low as - $0.12Kool-Aid packets in citrus flavor like orange or lemon (unsweetened) found down aisle with drink mixes near water and soda. One packet makes one batch, so grab a few.

Great Value (Walmart brand) .12 each
Kool-Aid brand .20 each


Vinegar Gallon as low as - $1.501 Gallon of Vinegar (found down aisle with Ketchup/Mustard)

Great Value (Walmart brand) for $2.38
Heinz $2.82

*If you have a Sam's Club or Costco membership, you can pick this up for around $1.50 a gallon in a 2-gallon box. Don't pay for a membership just for this though :)


Hydrogen Peroxide as low as - $0.52Hydrogen Peroxide (found in the first-aid/medical section)

16oz. .52
32oz. .88

*We recommend grabbing the 32 oz.


Baking Soda as low as - $0.52Baking Soda (don't buy this in the laundry/cleaning section, but in the grocery section. They jack the price up for the exact same stuff!)


Great Value (Walmart brand) 1lb. box for .52
Arm and Hammer 2 lb. box for $1.24 in the grocery section (vs. $2 in laundry/cleaning section)


Cheap Essential OilsDon't forget the Essential Oils - this is the heart of the cleaners.





Other Recommended ItemsOther recommended items:


Pumice Stone $1.88 (cleaning section at Walmart)
Paper Towels (Walmart brand for .50 - this is not for cleaning, we recommend reusable rags, but to make cleaning wipes)
Microfiber rags or old t-shirts (the dollar store is a good place for this)
Spray Bottles (you can recycle some from your home as long as they did not contain chemical products or harsh ingredients, otherwise, get new ones from Walmart for .97)
Old Toothbrushes - instead of throwing them away, keep a pile for cleaning purposes
You will need essential oils these are recommended but make sure you aren't allergic

Oregano
Cassia
Cinnamon
Melaleuca (also know as Tea Tree Essential Oil)
Lemon
Lavender
Peppermint
Shopping list adapted from
thethriftycouple

NOW here are the RECIPES

Homemade Floor Cleaner

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup alcohol
2-3 drops dish soap (Castile, Dawn, etc.)
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops orange essential oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
Fine-mist spray bottle – 24oz
Instructions

Add all ingredients to spray bottle and shake to combine.
Sweep/vacuum the floor.
Spray cleaner on the floor.
Wipe up with a microfiber cloth.
As with all cleaners, please do a spot test to make sure this will work on your floors!


NOTE: Some readers have asked for a modified version to use with a mop and bucket. After some research, here’s what I found: For a gallon of water, you could try 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/3 cup of alcohol, plus a few drops of dish soap.
***

Anti-bacterial Cleaning Wipes

need

Paper Towels of  good quality. I buy the Sam’s club ones, they are about as good as Bounty

1 cup of vinegar

1 cup of water

essential oil

A few drops of dish soap

Container to store the wipes (could use an old wipes container) I picked up this set the last time I was at Ikea. It cost $3.99 and had the perfect container for the wipes.

Make sure your paper towels will fit in the container. A full roll would not fit in any of the containers I had, so I used a partial roll. I used my serrated knife to cut the paper towels. I would cut and then rotate the towels and cut again.

towels

I just add the ingredients right to my container, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vinegar

I added some essential oil to cut back on the vinegar smell, it was pretty strong.

A few drops of dish soap, then gently mix it up.

Remove the cardboard part of the paper towels. I was able to wiggle it around a bit to loosen it then pull it out.

Put the paper towels in and turn the container upside down so all the wipes can get nice and wet. Make sure the lid is on tight, mine wasn't and I had a little leakage.

upside down

Once the wipes are thoroughly wet they are ready to be used

***

Natural Homemade Mold and Mildew Remover Recipe

A great, cheap and natural alternative to the harsh chemical cleaners that can do those tough mold and mildew removing jobs.
Ingredients
1 TBSP Baking Soda
1 TBSP White Distilled Vinegar
5-6 drops of Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Essential Oil
Instructions
Put the 1 TBSP of baking soda in a small bowl. Then pour the 1 TBSP of vinegar into the baking soda. A small reaction will happen, just stir it up until mixed.
Then add your 5-6 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil and mix again.
You will then have a thinner/medium thick paste. I apply this directly to the mold/mildew by either scooping with the spoon or apply with an old cleaning toothbrush. Let this sit for a few hours on top of the mold/mildew. Then come back and use the toothbrush to scrub away. You may need to repeat the above steps a couple of times, but it will most likely eventually be cleaned up!

***

Vacuum Cleaner Deodorizer

First, drip several drops of lavender or cinnamon essential oil onto a cotton ball, cotton square or even a bit of tissue! Whatever you have on hand already! About 10-15 drops is probably what you are looking to get onto your cotton ball.
Then just stick this piece of cotton into your vacuum bag. I do this for each vacuum bag change! If you have the bagless vacuum, then I place mine right in with my filters, I use 2 cotton balls. You will notice a nice and pleasant scent, while at the same time deodorizing while smelling good!

***

DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash

Did you know that most chemicals used on produce won't be washed off with a simple rinsing under water? The acid in vinegar kills bacteria and helps to dissolve the wax and pesticide residues found on the skins of many fruits and vegetables. As an added bonus, this will help some fruits last longer in addition to making them a healthier option to eat.

While it would be ideal to only purchase organically grown produce, or to grow your own, that isn't always an option. This solution is a frugal alternative when 100% organic foods are not available. I still use this solution on the organic foods I buy, as it does a much better job of washing than water alone.

I KNOW that this works, because the water is dirty after the produce has soaked and the apples and grapes have a slight white sheen on them from where the shiny wax had been.

The first way is

**Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash

Step 1: Make sure your kitchen sink is clean or place a large mixing bowl in the sink.
Step 2: Add the produce to the sink and cover with cold water. (Don't overcrowd the sink.)
Step 3: Add 1-2 cups of plain white vinegar and soak for 10-15 minutes.
Step 4: Rinse well.

I've used this method for just about every fruit and vegetable we eat. As long as you rinse well, there isn't a bit of a vinegary taste on the produce. If some of the fruits bob to the top (like the apples) just swirl them around in the water and rub gently with your fingertips for a few moments.

For washing LETTUCES and other GREENS: I only soak greens for a minute or two and then I rinse very well. Be careful to rinse them thoroughly and then spin them or pat them dry. Do not put the lettuces away wet or they won't last long. I store them in airtight containers lined with paper towels or in ziploc bags with paper towels, with all of the air pressed out.

For washing BERRIES (which tend to be more delicate): I place them in a large mixing bowl and then cover with cold water plus 1 cup of vinegar. I swirl them around a bit with my hands (because they tend to float to the top), letting them soak for 5 minutes or so. Drain the water off of them and rinse well. The vinegar and water solution helps destroy bacteria and mold spores, helping the berries last longer. When they are thoroughly rinsed, spread them out on a clean towel or papertowels and gently pat dry.

If I am washing raspberries or blackberries, I prefer to let them air dry. I'd rather have them slightly wet going into the refrigerator versus mushed from too much pressure attempting to dry them. (You can also spin them in a salad spinner with a few paper towels.) When they are mostly dry, place them in a paper-towel lined airtight container in the refrigerator. My berries tend to last anywhere from one to two weeks on average.

You can also make your own spray solution by combining 3 parts water with one part vinegar. Spray the fruits, let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse well before storing.
***

Glass/Window Cleaner

For a good glass cleaner combine a quart of water 

with 1/4 to 1/2 c. of white vinegar, 1 to 2 T. of lemon 

juice or 1 to 2 T. rubbing alcohol.

***

Antibacterial Cleaner

Antibacterial/antifungal Multipurpose Cleaner

Fill an empty spray bottle almost to the top with equal parts vinegar and 

water leaving enough room for 4 tbsps of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of tea tree 

oil.

Works better than chemical cleaners and it's non-toxic!

***

Bathroom Scrub

Make your own “Soft Scrub”: Create a paste of baking soda and water, then add a bit of salt to  baking soda paste. Add a drop of lemon essential oil, and scrub the counter tops and sinks until they shine. The salt won’t scratch surfaces since it’s gentle, and the lemon will make everything smell fresh.

***

Homemade Room and Fabric Deodorizer Recipes

I have been trying to save money on cleaning products including making my own laundry detergent, and other great ideas that I have found the last few months for cleaners. I'm wondering if you know of a way to make a room and/or fabric deodorizer similar to Febreeze. I know there must be something that would work to obtain the same type of effect as this product has, but not quite sure what to use at this time. I have five dogs and sure do a lot of cleaning.
Donna G.

Easy Deodorizer

The best deodorizer that I make is plain tap water with several drops of essential oil in it. I normally use lavender. About 15 drops for a 32-ounce spray bottle. When needed, I simply mist the air. I use lavender because it's so relaxing!
Katrina
Good Use for Vodka

I own a business which styles and sells wigs, falls, and other synthetic hairpieces, and the best trick I've learned for getting smells out of those fibers works just as well on other fibers and fabrics. Just mix water and vodka in a 1:1 ratio and spritz it right on. Works as well as commercial products like Febreeze. It evaporates quickly, leaving no alcohol-scent behind.
Penny
Less Expensive Substitute

Sam's club has a product called OdoBan. It comes in a gallon jug as a concentrate. You may make the scent as light or strong as you wish by adding water to a very small amount in a spray bottle. The scent isn't as flowery as Febreeze but pleasant, very effective, and very affordable. I have had my gallon for over a year and it's still almost a gallon.

My daughter uses this product at her pet grooming shops. The scent of wet dog isn't so noticeable. I have also read you may add fabric softener diluted with water as a spray, but would worry about furniture because product stains clothes if not used right.
Dian
The Fake Febreeze Recipe
2 C. Fabric Softener


2 C. Baking Soda


4 C. warm water

Mix and place in a spritzing bottle. Use just like you would the expensive Febreeze from the store. If you want, you can use the unscented fabric softener and then add a few drops of essential oil to make it a scent that you prefer. I just use Snuggle.
Tina
Works for Hunters

I have the perfect de-scenter. We moved into a house where the former renter had lots and lots of cats. The place really smelled like a cat box!

I used something I found at Wal-Mart called Sport-Wash by Sno-seal. It is a laundry detergent that hunters use to wash their clothes in that masks their scent so as not to alert the game. It works great. Just follow instructions and put some into a spray bottle and spray on carpets and furniture. It takes away the scent totally and because it was originally designed to be used in the wash it is safe on fabrics. You can find it in the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart. It is very cheap. A bottle that does 18 wash loads costs about $4.00. Also it leaves no perfumed after smell so you do not get that air freshener cover up smell.
Vicki
Old Faithfuls - Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar in a spray bottle. Dogs don't like the smell either and will avoid most areas it is sprayed. Ditto for cats. Vinegar in an open dish will also improve the smell in a room.

Sprinkle your carpets with baking soda and let it sit for a while before vacuuming. This will rid carpets of a lot of odors. Try it on your upholstered furniture. Make sure you have a good vacuum cleaner first. It won't hurt the fabric but who wants a residue of white stuff on their clothes.
Margo

***

Stain Remover

the stain remover mixture as consisting of 

one part Dawn dishwashing liquid mixed with two parts HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 

extra stubborn stains:

I used the above “recipe” PLUS added some baking soda (of course!) for the extra scrubbing element…and I used a small laundry brush to work the whole concoction into the stain for a few minutes.  After that I walked away and let the whole thing sit there for an hour or so and then laundered as usual.

======================

armpit stains etc

As you can see….no ill effects (ie. fading/bleaching of the color!) The mixture I scrubbed on with the brush above was 

1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent, 

3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, 

and a couple tablespoons of baking soda.

***

More to come

DIY: Fabric Softener and Fluff Your Towels

We now make our own laundry soap so I was thinking what about fabric softener too?

So I searched and started reading ingredients and walla I found a recipe for that too.

What you Need:
6 cups hot water {I used hot tap water, but you can boil the water as well}
2 cups white vinegar
1 bottle of conditioner {any conditioner will do. I picked one that smells great &
that’s cheap!}

The recipe:

In a bowl mix the hot water and full bottle of conditioner. Stir until completely

mixed & dissolved. After that pour in the vinegar and mix it all together. After that

pour your laundry softener into the container of your choice. I chose a mason jar

because I already had one & this large one is easy to pour or scoop the product out

of. I use about 6 table spoons, but you can use the amount that works for you.

***

another fabric softener recipe

First of all you should know that the use of vinegar in laundry is good for fluffing it up, softening and essential being a good replacement for regular fabric softener or dryer sheets Well, since then, we have taken this concept much further and made our own fabric softener, fabric refresher and much more from this idea to use in every single load!

Here’s what it does:
Makes the laundry soft and fluffy
Removes odors
Removes even more bacteria than just washing alone
Makes them actually smell good (yes, the vinegar really does this…..)
And it can also help to lessen the amount of color “bleeding” between fabrics (similar to a Shout Color Catcher)

So that is what we have done! You can make your own fabric softener with 2 ingredients and with 4 different variations! Let me share these easy ways:

What you need:
White Vinegar

Your choice of Essential Oil

1. make your own fabric softener by soaking your old dryer sheets in vinegar that has several drops of lavender essential oil. You will be able to do this several times before the dryer sheets break down and need to be thrown away.
2. Make reusable dryer sheets by cutting up an old t-shirt into squares, then put them into a baby wipes or cleaning wipes tub, cover with the mixture of vinegar and lavender essential oil and throw in your dry for each drying load. Make a new batch after you use them all! These will last forever!!
3. Make a pre-mixed liquid version for the wash cycle by mixing vinegar with several drops of lavender essential oil and store in a container to use in your washing machine.
4. The fourth and final way to do this is actually what I do! Pour your vinegar in your softener slot on your front loader or top loader washing machine, then add a drop of lavender essential oil! This is the easiest way for me to do this and so that is just how I have been doing it!

***

Some information on using Vinegar in your laundry

Have you ever thought about using white vinegar in your laundry? I hadn't until a while ago when I heard that you can add vinegar to your towel loads to fluff them up instead of using liquid fabric softener! Who wouldn't want fluffy towels?

So, we started to put 1/2 cup of vinegar in a full load and a 1/4 cup in a smaller load of towels. You just pour it in at the beginning in the fabric softener slot or during your rinse cycle when you would normally put in your liquid fabric softener. We have found this to be immensely beneficial to our laundry and to our budget! And it is a natural alternative!
Not only does the vinegar “fluff” the towels, it actually takes smells out too! So you can have fluffier, fresher smelling towels.
We also use it with our sheet and blanket loads for the same reasons.
We also use it in our white loads.
Vinegar is very cheap especially in bulk or gallon size bottles. This will save you an incredible amount of money not needing to use liquid softener. You will not need to purchase special or expensive odor removing laundry products.
We still use dryer sheets as needed to reduce the static – but we use the sheets in the dryer. The vinegar does help to reduce some static.
We also read somewhere that the harsh chemicals in fabric softener actually breakdown the threads whereas vinegar will not break the towel threads hardly at all – so your towels may last longer as well and save you money on towel replacement.
It is also gentler on the skin and perfect for those with sensitivities to the ingredients in common household laundry products.

Have you ever used vinegar in your laundry? It was a weird concept when I first heard about it – but it really works and hardly costs anything!

DIY: Paint Dipped Pinecones

Paint Dipped Pinecones




Bring a little winter woodlands into your house during the pre and post holiday months with these pretty dipped pinecones. If the cones around you aren’t fully opened (open cones look best) dry them out in the oven on the lowest setting until they open completely. Things you need:
Pinecones
1 quart white paint
Floral wire
Newspaper
Things to do:
1. Wrap a piece of floral wire around the top of the cone loosely. You’ll use this both for dipping and drying so you’ll want it either well hidden in the cone or easily removed. Curve the top of the wire so that it is easily wrapped around the hanger.

2. Spread out the newsprint below a hanging surface. A closet hanging rod works well.
3. Shake the paint well and then open. Dip the pinecones slowly into the paint and suspend each over the can for a minute to let most of the excess drip off.


4. Hang over the newsprint to dry. Once the paint has hardened, slip or remove the wire before displaying.







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