homemade

We made and used the homemade liquid laundry detergent for about a year. This time I’m going with the powdered version. It’s easier, less messy, and if I might add… cuter to display. Will this cute factor make laundry any more enjoyable? Doubt it. But it’s worth a try, huh?

I made a sheet of labels, sealed them and glittered them (yah.. you’re right.. glitter was probably a bit much but I like it). Now I’ll have cute labels at the ready when I need a quick little gift to give. Laundry soap for a gift? Why, of course!

“homemade clothes soap ~ 1 Tbsp per Load, 2 Tbsp per Extra-Grungy Load”

Here’s the recipe I used:

Powdered Laundry Detergent—

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 grated bar of laundry soap, such as Fels Naptha or Pink Zote
5-10 drops of essential oil (I used grapefruit essential oil, and it smells just yum)

Just mix it all up with a big spoon, deposit it all in a pretty jar.. and there ya have it. Your own lovely mix of laundry detergent, and the added bonus is it’s much cheaper than buying anything ready-made. Use 1 tablespoon for each regular load, and 2 tablespoons for extra dirty or extra large loads.

Also, I doubled the recipe and grated one bar each of Fels Naptha and Pink Zote. I found Pink Zote at a local Latin Market. Makes for a pretty mix! I also added a 2 Tbsp coffee scoop.

**Updated to Answer some Questions about HE machines. I do not have one - mine is "old school" (but yet, not the washboard in the pic.. hehe). I've done a little research just now and I see this recipe seems to be fine for HE machines also -- due to the low sudsing effect. I also read where some people use this product monthly in their HE machine, no matter what detergent is used (to clean out any remnants of detergent & be on the safe side).

Next up, baby gifts! I’ve been making these little appliquéd Onesies for little boy gifts.

So easy! I’ll direct you to a fantastic tutorial at Crap I’ve Made blog. She has definitely covered all the bases. I’ve also used some camo fabric, and I do have some rockin’ guitar fabric to try next. Soon I hope to try out some baby girl onesie ideas (I think they should include lots of ruffles).

So many homemade ideas, so little time & energy. But I’m workin’ on it!

Fathers & Fiddles

The year is 1982 ~ the Blacksmith holds a brand new Fiddler boy.
(applied Kim Klassen Love & Mayzee textures)

The year 2000, following Fiddler’s high school graduation ceremonies. 3 generations of “John” ~
(yes, it does get confusing. thankfully, the Blacksmith goes by his middle name)

Me and my Daddy – 1961
(applied Kim Klassen pourvous texture)

I’ll close by sharing a short fiddle tune for all the dads. “Happy Jack” as performed by the Fiddler (in his summer haircut) at the Bethel, Missouri Fiddle Festival yesterday.

**blogger did not cooperate when I edited this post to add the Texture Tuesdays link - it removed the video, but you can view the Fiddler's performance here**

(By the way, if you have an aspiring young fiddler or guitarist, please read this link about the Bethel Youth Fiddle Camp here. I also found some great photos here of last year’s camp. The Fiddler attended this camp for as many years as possible, and taught at least one year there in the past. Highly recommended!Or, if you just enjoy fiddle music and are in the area, plan to attend the Bethel Fiddle Festival next year.)

Happy Fathers’ Day ~ Enjoy your day, Dads!

linking to Texture Tuesday

Texture Tuesdays – a first for me

I discovered the fabulous Kim Klassen Cafe several weeks or months ago. I was then reminded about it when my friend (and fellow Bee Girl) Andrea began participating in Texture Tuesdays not long after that. (By the way,  Andrea has some amazing photography with textures ~ please visit! I love them all and look forward to seeing what she’s up to each week.)

So recently I revisited Kim and did her amazingly quick and simple Textures in Ten tutorial (free – and Kim also generously offers some free textures to get you started. Just sign up on her site!). Although I’d tried some textures in the past, I never really “got it” until Kim’s tute. Thanks, Kim! I have more to learn, but it will be fun practicing. Here is my first real shot at this. I started with a photo I took at our local Amish friends’ farm back in 2009. 

I used Kim’s “Luminous” texture and kept it simple, mainly using her Textures in Ten tips. So easy, and so addictive, I must say. I look forward to learning more, and will try to participate in TT’s on a regular basis.

Check it out!

Have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!