Homemade Laundry Soap

I don't know about you, but man - my laundry mountain is getting crazy big by this point in the week. So, I thought this might be a good day to share with you my homemade laundry soap. Yeah, I am getting a little crazy with all this homemade stuff. I doubt it will last - or be consistent. Just something that is fun to do from time to time. If I can save money and have time to do it - of course I will.

There are tons of recipes out there, again I tweaked mine a bit - more with a method than ingredients.

What is needed:
2 bars FelsNaptha laundry soap
1 box washing baking soda
1 box borax
1/2 container scent crystals (optional)
1 container to hold finished soap (I have used my empty Tide box for most of the soap and the empty scent crystal container works well for what sits next to my machine.)
1 kitchen garbage bag - to mix everything


I have a family of 5 and average 7 loads of laundry a week. This recipe lasts us 4-5 months. 

What to do:
Cut the bars of soap into thirds.

1. Microwave each piece separately on a piece of parchment or wax paper for about 45 seconds.  It will expand and form 'clouds'. Once it is done expanding, you can stop the microwave. NOTE: You may want to set your microwave for something like 2 minutes and just wait to see how long it takes to stop expanding. That will give you a better estimate of how long it will take with your microwave. 

(soap bits pre and post microwave) 

1. Put each piece into a large mixing bowl to cool. Do this for all the bar soap. Let it all sit for about 30 minutes - or until it is COMPLETELY cooled. Seriously - wait.
2. Mash the soap with your hands. It will turn into a powder.
3. Add all ingredients to the trash bag and mix. I just tied it closed and moved the whole thing around for a few minutes.
4. Pour into your storage container.

And that is it! You only need to use 1-2 TBSP per load - but I pretty much always use 2 TBSP. And yes, I use this in my HE front load washer. It does not sud, so it works great.

There are also recipes for liquid versions. I haven't tried those yet as I tend to like powder soaps better.

Enjoy!

Christmas Ornaments, a family tradition

I come from a long line of creative people. My great grandmother (gma Lefler) is as far back as I remember. She use to braid my hair, taught me how to do needlepoint when I was little, made amazing rolls and molasses cookies, was always making us clean (boo hiss), and always had yarn in her hands. I currently have  4 afghan blankets she made. One of which she made for my wedding day, which she never witnessed.

Then there is my gma Hewitt (currently known as cowboy gma). Gma is always positive, willing to do just about anything, and (sorry gma) can't bake. She loves to thrift shop, play bingo, and eat out. She also paints. I wish I had just an ounce of her painting abilities. She will say she isn't very good - but I disagree. She and gpa have been making Christmas ornaments ever since I can remember.

'tis the season - cold and flu season

Well, we have fully experienced colds so far this season. 3 of us hit so far. Yep, it's that time of year again. The worst part for me is the tissues. My poor nose! Over the past several years, I would just use all the lovely flannel burp clothes we had on hand. But, we have moved past that point in out lives and all the burp clothes have been passed on for others to use. Don't worry, they were washed - a lot.

So, once the cold hit my son, he requested I make some more. Instead of the fancy curved burp clothes I had previously, I went with simple (and FAST) squares and rectangles. I made a few double layered soft flannel hankies. Size doesn't really matter - they are all a little different, depending on how much I had on hand.

Seriously, you should make these. Your noses will thank you.

Jumbo Checker Boards

Need a great handmade gift for the holidays? 

Ever want to have a game that is over-sized? We love jumbo checkers. It can be used on a table as well - in case someone doesn't want to sit on the floor. I also make a simple drawstring bag for storage. Great family fun!

Fabric Roll-up Chalk Boards

And Sew We Craft is having a linky party! Thought I would share a favorite project...
The Life of Jennifer Dawn.. another linky party I have entered this post...

My mother gave my kids a roll up chalk board she made - yes she is crafty too. I had never seen chalk cloth before. It is COOL. After watching my girls fight over the chalk board, I decided I should make a couple more - and maybe try to sell some as well. 

They have been pretty popular. What's not to love? They roll up and can be stuck just about anywhere. Chalk won't melt in the car (like crayons - yes I have melted wax in my van) or leave 'art' behind like markers (yep, I have permanent 'art' as well).

So, I thought I would share a little tutorial on how I make them.

Birthdays and tutorial

This past week, we have celebrated the birth of 2 of my little ones! The youngest turned 3 and the oldest turned 9 - just 4 days apart.

  

Can you say cake overload? Pink cupcakes for the youngest and army tanks for the oldest. I actually had a little foresight to make the cakes the day before. I only had 1.5 hours to put these together. The boys thought they were cool. Mission accomplished.

I have not had the courage to step on the scale the scale the past couple of days. And Easter is just around the corner. AHHHH! I am trying to at least make sure I get some exercise in each day. I can't say I have been 100% successful, but close. Here's to maintaining weight!

The oldest had a sleep over party - 6 boys. Lots of sugar and not much sleep. BUT, they had a GREAT time. Marshmallow shooters (guns), camp fire, and a warm rain. I don't think they could have asked for a better evening. We spent 5 hours outside! Few. My house thanks me.

 

The boys were coverd in so much mud, they needed showers and I had to wash their cloths.  

LUCKILY, we have a mini shower in our mud room - so all of the mud was contained to the mudroom! YAY! Hard to see all of the mud in this pic - trust me, it was there!

The boys 'made' their guns. We had all the pieces cut and then they assembled and decorated. I just love the new duct tapes that are available these days. They could use UNC or camouflage. I had whipped up the ammo sashes earlier in the day. One some of the kids they worked well, on others - not so much. A top flap wouldl have been helpful to keep the marshmallows in.

Our guns are similar to these. Ours were built a little different, but basically the same steps.

Ammo sash
I didn't take pictures as I was making these - no time. So, here is a quick and dirty explanation of what I did. Let me know if you have any questions.

For the sashes, I cut 2 pieces of fabric 3"x25". Sew together on one (short) end (right sides together). Serge long sides. Cut 2 pieces of fabric 8" x 9" (these are for the pockets). Serge all 4 sides on each piece. Pin the 'short' side of the pocket to the side of the sash - about 8" down from the top seam. Pin the other 'short' side to the other side of the sash. Do this again for the second pocket - about 1.5" below the 1st pocket. You will secure these sides (the middle will be 'flapping free' for now). Once secured, now you can make one large pleat across the bottom of the pocket. Pin in place and sew. repeat for second pocket. I would suggest adding a flap on top of each pocket to help keep the marshmallows in place. Just make them 3" wide and secure above each pocket. I serged everything for this project - as I needed it to be fast and easy. You can always just turn under and hem everything. That was too time consuming (I only had 2 hours to make 8 of these babies). Then, turn right sides together and make a 45 degree line across the bottom and sew. This secures the bottom of the sash. Where this is placed depends on the size of the kid (or adult).

This is a close up of the pocket (the top is pointing to the bottom of the screen). Sorry, can't seem to get it rotated. Notice the serged sides.


Next up - Easter...