Tried & True Tuesday

Tried & True Tuesday

I have come to the conclusion that if I cannot put it IN my body, then I am not going to put it ON my body.

 I have been researching (between naps) the wonderful World Wide Web and reading, reading, reading.  I came across a few books last week at the Goodwill, that I have fallen in love with.  The best thing about them...they were only 49 cents a piece.  You can't beat that!  I hit the thrift store jackpot, also finding two glass mixing bowls, two beautiful mason jars, a kitchen (junk drawer) organizer and a wooden mixing spoon.  I have a very  hard time buying items at full price when I am going to be using them for soap making, body butters etc.  I tend to beat the living hell out of my crafting tools. 

Last week's, thrift store treasures

"NO POO," Day 1

Today was my first day of "NO POO."  I have been reading so many different blogs that swear by the "NO POO" approach to washing and conditioning your hair.  I have been and still am very skeptical, but super excited.  I rinsed my hair, washed with one tablespoon of baking soda mixed in a cup of warm water, rinsed again and then sprayed my hair with one tablespoon of vinegar mixed with warm water.  There are several different combinations and opinions on how much baking soda/water and how much vinegar/water should be used.  You more or less, have to be your own chemist on this one.  If your hair gets too dry, use less baking soda and more vinegar.  If your hair gets too oily, use less vinegar and more baking soda.  I read that it can take a few weeks for your hair to adjust to its normal PH.  It can go through a transition period and your hair can become very yucky!  Keep calm and carry on.  After the transition period is over, you will have the hair of your dreams.  Seriously, it is supposed to give your hair more body, make it more shiny and all without the use of chemicals.  Like I said, this is only day one for me.  I will keep you posted!  Wish me luck :)

You can probably see the lemon and limes peals floating in the large mason jar, in the picture above.  That is another project that I am working on.  An all natural, multi-purpose cleaner.

I am in the early stages, just soaking the citrus peels in a vinegar/water mixture.  I will post the finished product and the results on another Tried and True Tuesday.  I found the recipe on Lexie Naturals.      

 Multi-Purpose Citrus Cleaner

OK, on to the real Tried and True.  These are things that I have been doing and LOVE!  For a few weeks, I have been using a slice of lemon and 1/4 of a tablespoon of honey to wash my face.  I only do this about 4 times a week or every other day.  On the off days, I wash with a regular, very mild soap.  My skin is super sensitive and breaks out along my chin.  I don't have blackheads or white pustules, just little bumps.  I hated the way my face would feel when I touched it.  It was GROSS!  I found this idea on Pinterest, but the directions weren't very directional.  So, I just made up my own.  The result...skin that is finally BUMP FREE!!! I couldn't believe it.  Now, I can't live without it. 

Lemon and Honey Face Scrub

1 slice of a lemon (I use left over lemons that I used in my Lemon Mint Water)
1/4 TBSP honey

Drip the honey onto the lemon and use it as a you would a wash cloth to clean your face.  Using a
circular motion, work it into your face.  Let the lemon and honey mixture sit on your face for five minutes and then wipe off with a warm cloth.  You won't see immediate results, but there should be noticeable results with in two days.  LOVE IT!!!

Homemade Deodorant

Again, if I can't put it IN my body, I won't put in ON my body.  Soooo, I made my own deodorant.  And it WORKS!  I used this yesterday and then went to the pool for the afternoon.  I did an armpit check and there was NO smell.  I don't usually smell myself, so I am not sure that my old, store bought deodorant does or doesn't do the trick.  Bottom line, the deodorant that I made is natural and does not contain chemicals!  Love that!

Homemade Deodorant 

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup corn starch

6 TBSP coconut oil

Mix together in a bowl and then store it in an airtight container (in the refrigerator during warm weather).  I did start with a spoon, but then used my hands (for the warmth) to incorporate it well. 

I used one of my old (hoarded) body butter containers.  You may want to add less coconut oil if it seems too liquidy.

This ugly thing called Chiari Malformation can make experimenting and writing a difficult task.  I hope to post as much and as many natural, DIY recipes and concoctions as possible.  If you find that I have missed a few days, please be patient!  I finally, after two weeks of phone calls, messages and tears, got an appointment with my neurologist.  I am so relieved!  He is wonderful to me, but his office staff lack in empathy.  It should NOT take two weeks to get an appointment.  Wish me luck :)

Have a splendid day! 

~Nicole





A Few of My Favorite Things, Friday!

These are a few of my favorite things today, Friday!  It is raining today.  Although, I normally complain about the rain.  It is a favorite today.  We really need it in Eastern PA. 

These two are among my favorite things!

I was given four kittens that were only a few days old.  They did not even have their eyes open yet.  Their mother was hit by a car and killed.  I bottle fed them and became their momma.  They were all very special to me.  These are the two that I still have.  One is awaiting a new home on the 29th and the other has stolen my heart.

 He will remain with me because, I can't imagine my life without him.

Fels-Naptha....another one of my favorite things.

I used this in my homemade laundry soap, but it is also a great when used as a stain stick.

I picked up this Fels-Naptha at my local Wal-Mart for 97 cents.

The label reads:

1. Wet stain with water

2. Work Fels-Naptha Soap into stained area

3. Let stand for one minute

4. Wash according to care label instructions

My son gets frequent bloody noses due to his allergies.  He had a few shirts that had dried blood stains on them.  So, I tried the Fels-Naptha as a stain remover.  Works Great!  I was so pleased to see the stains had totally disappeared!

Another one of my favorite things..."The Green Guide To Daily Living"

On my latest trip to the bookstore, I found this book on the sale table.  I thought, for a dollar, it would be worth a few good tips, at least.  I was pleasantly surprised by some of the tips that the book offered.  Did I mention it was only One Dollar?  Did you know....

When a label on a personal care products reads, Natural....it means absolutely nothing!

When a personal care product is USDA Certified Organic... it means that 95% of the products' ingredients are Certified Organic.  Good to know!

Look for these organic products:

- Dr. Bronner's
- Origins Organics
- Burt's Bees, Inc
- Everyday Minerals
- Kiss My Face Corporation
- Intelligent Nutrients

Hello, my name is Nicole and I am a book hoarder.

Yep, that's right.  I hoard strange things.  I love being organized and having a clean and clutter free home, but if you look under my bed, you will find evidence of my hoarding. 

My favorite hoardings right now are:

-Books

-Anything that I could possible use as a container for my handmade lotions and body butters

-Anything that could possibly be used for a craft (of any kind), this gets a little messy

-Doilies

-Organic cooking oils (which I use for cooking and body lotions etc.)

Solar Power....my Friday's most favorite thing! 

Not just because my partner in crime works for a solar company, but because it is so very sustainable. Check out the website below.  Lenape Solar's page offers facts and some very convincing reasons "WHY" to choose solar.

http://lenapesolar.net/whysolar.html

These are a few of my favorite things...Happy Friday!

A year's worth of homemade laundry soap for $17.00.  Has to be too good to be true, right? WRONG!

I don't enjoy doing laundry and I especially do not enjoy spending a ton of money on detergents and stain removers.  There are about a gazillions different products out there to choose from and I don't trust any one of them.  I have a problem with all the chemicals that are added and more of a problem with ingredients that I can't pronounce.   The act of doing laundry itself is not bothersome, it is just the stain removal and the folding that I detest. I actually love throwing it in and letting my washer do all the work.  Now, if I could only find a washer with a fold button, I'd be in business. 

Anyway, I made my own laundry soap!  I know, crafty right?!  Actually, I searched the internet and found various recipes.  Then, I tailored it to my own needs.  All in all, I am very pleased with the result.

Here's how I did it. 

I purchased all of the ingredients all at my local Wal-Mart. 

2 bars of Fels Naptha or Zote soap (laundry isle)
4 cups washing soda (laundry isle)
NOTE: washing soda is different than Baking Soda and regular laundry soap powder.
4 cups baking Soda (any brand)
6 cups Borax
Grate 2 bars of Fels Naptha soap, add 4 cups washing soda, 4 cups baking soda and 6 cups of Borax in a large bowl.  Mix carefully because all of the powdery ingredients will fly all over and create a big mess.  Not to mention, make it hard to breathe.  I then poured the whole bowl into a large plastic cereal container.  You can use any container that you may already have on hand, just make sure that it is air tight.  I add 2 tablespoons to each load of laundry.  Keep in mind, this is low sudsing.  I panicked the first time I used the soap.  I was so nervous that I only used it on a load of towels, then a load of older clothes, but it far exceeded my expectations! 

Here is my finished product.  I had to make it pretty.  So, I put some in an old mason jar, added a ribbon and a label. 

The only thing that I will do differently next time, is add fabric softener crystals.  Then, I can cut out using fabric sheets and save a little more money.  I also think that I am going to double my batch.  It isn't very time consuming to make, but why not make more and not have to think about it for a while. The batch that I made cost less than $6.00 to make.  If I doubled the batch and added fabric softener crystals, it would be approximately $17.00.  Doubling the recipe will last about one year, doing 2-3 loads of laundry a week.  Amazing!!! 

I am so excited about this and I have been telling everyone that I know.  It is less expensive and works great.  Have fun!!!
Others notes that I wanted to add:  I came across a recipe for laundry soap that included all of the above ingredients with the addition of OxiClean.  At first, I thought that it may be a good idea, but after doing some research, I was stunned.  It turns out that one of OxiClean's main ingredients is  washing soda. No wonder my clothes have looked cleaner and brighter!  Score!

Fels-Naptha is a washing bar, but is great if used as a stain stick (and much cheaper)!

Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, I grew up fishing, playing in the mud, rescuing animals and of course playing with Barbies.  I am an animal lover, junk collector, deal finder, art lover, crafter, trash to treasure hippy wannabe, that would love to live a completely green life.   

After being diagnosed with Arnold Chiari Malformation and having brain decompression surgery in the same year, it was a bit of an adjustment.  Having “too much brain to contain” was no joke!      

Having been a busy body (or gasoline ass, as my mother would call it) I had a very hard time adjusting to a more sedentary life. I was used to working eight and twelve hour shifts on my feet.  Now, I have good days, bad days and very bad (can't get out of bed, off the couch or even stay in the upright position) days.  So, it was extremely difficult to accept that the life I once knew, was now gone.  I had myself a pity party for a few months and then decided that it was time to just get over it and move on.  I started looking for projects to do, gifts to make, rooms to organize and things to clean (and knew products to clean them with).   I am sooo going to make the best out of the good days.

So, with an open mind and plenty of time on my hands, ready, set, experiment and create!