So after my crazed, over-ambitious sewing from the last kcwc, I thought I might sit the next event out. And seeing as how my sister just gave me a ginormous sack of hand-me-downs for my son, I’m not sure if we actually need clothes. But…but…but…the Kids Clothes Week Challenge is so fun! I plan to participate yet again, with a more, err, toned-down approach, but who knows how hard the sewing bug might bite.
Will you be participating?
Earlier this month my sister celebrated her birthday, and I put together a small present that I thought made a nice gift for the modern homemaker.
Lemon lavender scented laundry soap
several wool scrap dryer balls
and a box of handmade fabric labels to stitch into her creations. With four children, this girl whips out home-sewn items like nobody’s business. Like, it’s insane. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 25 labels I made were already gone.
What items would you give to a modern homemaker?
Happy Gifting!
Okay, so by the title of this post, I’m certain there are a few of you out there gagging and yes, there is something terribly kitschy about adorning your home with pom-poms, and scenting them on top of that. But this wreath, while still on the kitsch-side, is pretty rad. And as for the scent? Think aromatherapy.
I started making this wreath back in January, by hand-making all 200+ poms using a method quite similar to this. I used a combination of both kitchen cotton and acrylic yarn, which added enough variation to make it a bit more interesting, a must in my book, given the color scheme. It came out just as I had envisioned, though word to the wise: using kitchen cotton to make homemade pom-poms is more challenging and laborious than acrylic, simply due to the heft of the fiber. I hot glued each pom-pom to a pre-made Styrofoam wreath, and then to scent, I added two drops of lavender and three drops lemon essential oils to the cotton pom-poms.
We’ve been quite ill around here (I have an ear infection and pneumonia!), and I added several drops of peppermint and eucalyptus to help open our airways. It provides a bit of relief whenever I pass by. What a great way to provide a little aromatherapy.
Note on the winterscape: The bottle brush trees were handmade by my sister, who is 1000 times craftier than I, and this adorable little fox was a winter solstice gift for my son which I found at a local toy shop. While I’ll be changing out the winter scape for something more springy in the coming weeks, I’m thinking the wreath has got to stay for another season.
Happy Crafting!
Today is the launch of the Spring edition of Sparrow Magazine. Once again I am so honored to be a contributor to this stellar online publication. Please visit their space to read my article: All-Natural Homemade Cleaning Products, where I feature 10 green spring cleaning solutions:
Happy Reading & Green Spring Cleaning!
About a year ago I discovered this homemade laundry powder recipe from Soule Mama, and I’ve been using it ever since…mostly. When I first started making it, I grated the soap by hand, which I loathed. I began dreading the process whenever my batch ran out, and eventually went back to my favorite laundry soap, only occasionally making the powder. For Christmas this year, I gave away several dryer balls along with a jar of laundry powder to friends and family, and during the hand-grating process, I wised up and streamlined the process.
I only purchase Dr. Bronner’s soap when it’s on super sale, which is quite rare, so my preferred castile soap is Kirk’s, which I get for 99 cents a bar. I have also used Fels Naptha, but stopped after reading it contains icky petroleum.
First I cut each bar into more manageable chunks using the blade on our cheese board.
Then using the grating attachment on my food processor, I run each chunk through the machine. It easily fits 10 bars at a time.
Finally, I transfer the gratings to a large bowl, change to the standard “S” blade, and run the gratings through the machine again. In my experience, this is a must to ensure the soap fully dissolves in the wash.
Following the recipe, I mix the other ingredients in a large bowl (my sinuses prefer this done outside), and transfer to large jars, adding up to 50 drops of essential oil to each batch. So far, these are my favorite combinations:
I use anywhere from 1/16 to a 1/4 cup per load, depending on load size, stains, etc.
Again, a quart jar of the laundry powder along with several wool dryer balls makes a fantastic gift.
Happy Laundering!
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