end of the summer

Well, it's coming isn't it? the end of summer, not so bad but this year I really enjoyed the summer with hanging my clothes out to dry and doing a lot more homemade things this summer. Here in the northwest it just is so damp and cold and gray it is hard for me to be outside once winter is here. I have begun my Bible study and really am loving that. I go to BSF and you can find the link in the right side bar to go to their site and find a class in your area. I have done a bit of sewing and just need to take some pictures... I also have an idea how to use the bags our coffee beans come in so stay tuned.

Hanging out to dry....

Well, it's up! Yes I'm excited about a clothesline being put up and having a fresh load of towels hanging out to dry. I have wanted one for awhile but you know, here in the northwest(Seattle area) we really don't have a lot of dry days, but this summer has been dry and hot so I talked to my honey and he agreed to put one up for me. Sure it is money saving but also just fun to hang out my own clothes... oh yes, and how green of me :)

What I do while watching TV.

Sometimes we watch a movie for a second time :) I can trace or cut paper while watching. So I have a few templates from Making memories, but you can just take any envelope and open it up and use it as a pattern. (I have heard if you put a sealed envelope in the freezer for a few minutes it will open easily, let me know if you try it and if it works) Then I just use the stack of magazines or flyer's that come in the mail and find a nice picture or pattern and trace it, then fold it up and glue it up. I seal them with either glue or tape when I mail them. Cutting them out.
All folded up and read to use
for small gift cards, or mailing.

Homemade Marshmallows

Oh this was so fun, my daughter and I made our own marshmallows! We saw Alton Brown make them on Good Eats and just thought hey lets try. They taste good too! Here's the recipe.

Homemade Foot Scrub

Along the lines of making things at home, I thought I'd try making my own foot scrub. I looked up many on the web most of them have sugar or salt, something for the scrub part like corn meal, ground nuts, coffee grounds. Then an oil like olive or almond or many others oils.

The first one I made I wont share pictures because by the time I made it up it looked like mud. Coffee grounds, sugar and olive oil. It worked fine but I found it stained my white washcloths so I had to come up with something else.

This one is corn meal 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon raw sugar and then enough almond oil(the body oil type from the health food store) to pull it together I would say about 2 teaspoons.




Here is what it looks like but wow does it smell yummy :) It's really nice, I like this one a lot.







Let me know if you try this and what you think?

Homemade hand soap

I'm sure that everyone has noticed the rising; gas, milk, egg prices etc....
So I have been thinking, where I can save some money?
I am going to price this out to compare:
a 12 pack of Ivory soap $2.47
glycerin 6oz $2.84
water

I only used 1 bar of soap 0.20
1 teaspoon(1/3 of an ounce) of glycerin 0.16
total cost 0.36 cents
for six cups of liquid hand soap.

I did not price hand soap a the store so here it is from the web

Soft soap refill 40oz $7.79 @ drugstore.com
$ 7.79 divide by 40oz is 0.19 cents an ounce

Our homemade soap made 6 cups so that is 6 times 8oz = 48 ozs
So 0.36 cents for 48oz divided by 48oz = 0.0075 per ounce so less that 1 cent an ounce
Not too bad.

Ok so here is where I got my recipe

You see my purchases.
I just used my kitchen grater, and then washed in the dishwasher and it was very clean :)
then I put one cup boiling water and the grated soap bar in my blender, blended then let rest... after 20minutes added the glycerin, then added water to fill up to the six cup mark.
I just poured it in a container for now. I did refill some of our soap pumps with it and it's working great, I will see how the family likes it over time.
Very simple and makes me feel good about saving some money around here.
Let me know if you try it out and what you think?