more gems...

This was also found in my grandmothers house...oh how I can't wait to go back. And this old lantern that was my dads. I think I have two :) I was thinking of making the lantern into a light for our library nook...

Ideas wanted and welcome!

little gem of many

I got this little vanity bench out of my grandmothers garage and I can't wait to clean it up. If anyone has any ideas for color, fabric or use I would like to hear.

I can't wait to go back and dig a little more to see what I can find. Oh the little gems in life. :)

dryer-sheets

Here it is...

I couldn't stand it so while the kids were playing so well I mixed up the softener. I already had the Downy on hand and to be honest, not really sure where it came from. We have never bought liquid softener. (It could have been any of the many college students that have lived with us over the years) I also had a bottle of Dreft spray that was gone, so I used that.

I filled the Dreft bottle half way with Downy then the rest with water. Then turn back and forth to mix up but do not shake vigorously...I know you are tempted but you will get lots of suds. Another little hint is that you can use hair conditioner...yes i said it! So the when the downy is gone I will be buying inexpensive hair conditioner. Sometimes you can find Suave for $1.00. Then follow the same process.

After mixing it up take an old rag, sock (cause we know we have lots of those sitting around because the dryer ate the other one, right?) and spray it with the softener. Don't drench it but enough to be moist, then put it in the laundry with your wet clothes. Ta Da!

You can re-use it with several loads and spray as needed. And if you want to wash it, go for it. Thanks again Stacy for your thrifty-ness... below is another great hint from her as well.

"If you’re really hard core into using your dryer sheets, that’s cool too. Just cut them in halves or thirds. Or do like me and reuse them. Another tip I came across said to soak an old rag in pure fabric softener and then leave it out to dry. When it’s dry you can toss it into the dryer with wet clothes and use it again and again. You can re-soak it as needed. My mom does this and she uses an old sock. See, I’ve been brought up very well."

Don't forget to label your bottles either. If you go to Stacy's website she made labels, I got lazy in that area and taped my own on and as you can see I tried to take the picture with baby in hand and well we got blurry..or it could be my eyes going bad again. LOL

The old wipe box is what I will use to store my rags, lonely socks or what ever I use to make the dyer-sheet.

Happy mixing!

Borax...what's that??

At least that was my question.

First let me say that this blog credit goes to Stacy from stacymakescents.com. This lady's blog rocks my world! :) I love finding ways to save money and of course love making my own things. Check out her blog!

So here it is; I made my own laundry detergent. Ya'll this was so easy and only took me 5-10 minutes. I am so pumped. You know I am excited because this is the first time in a LONG time that I posted something immediately after doing it. :)

The items below only cost me $7.00.

After grating my soap and slightly my knuckle (Stacy, I tried to avoid your happenings but it was inevitable. I was so excited I think I got a bit carried away). I was ready to mix in the other ingredients... 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda.

Stacy mentions the workout of mixing and well I just skipped that step and put it all in my food processor as did she and we are ready... make sure you clean your processor really well before using it for food. I happen to come across a FREE one so now I have one to make my detergents and other household items and one for food. If you can find one for FREE I would recommend that...then you won't have to worry if you cleaned it good enough. :)

you only need 2 tablespoons and remember to put it in with your water before the clothes...

Laundry complete! As I was moving my laundry over to the dryer I was thinking..if I could only make dryer sheets....well are you ready for it????

YOU CAN!!! Yes, Stacy advised me of how to make dryer-sheets. I will post later but will be making those this afternoon.

Looking forward to the amount of money we will save!!!

Bathroom cabinet makeover

Really?? Has it been a month already. Time sure flies by when you have two kids. Those of you with more than two...not sure how you do it yet.

Evangeline is now 3 months old, she is growing sooo fast! She has been a joy. Elijah is talking up a storm and will be 3 this summer. Hard to believe. In between the kids I work on projects here and there and need to get better at putting the pictures up of the few I have completed. My list keeps getting longer and longer. LOL

Here is a cabinet I redid for our bathroom. I wanted one over the toilet and they are so expensive. I just could not find one I was willing to spend the money on. We were given some cabinets from some friends who were redoing their kitchen...so I sanded and painted and WHALA! Makes the bathroom a little more cozy. :)