Love Votives for Valentine's Day

For our MakeItMonday, we made our own Valentine's Day votives. We used materials that were already in the house. I knew those saved recycled jars would come in handy some day. This project is fun and it's cheap. It kind of reminds me of paper mache. Remember those? These votives make a great festive center piece and a nice gift. Let's share the love.

All you need:
-recycled glass jars (we used washed out coconut oil jars)
-colored tissue paper
-scissors
-liquid starch
-craft brushes
-recommend a towel over newspaper
-container to hold your liquid starch
-tea light candles

We began by laying a towel across our work area. Liquid starch is a liquid. It's runny and messy. A towel works best.

We took white tissue paper and tore it into small squares. The kids will get a kick out of this step. 3 inch squares or so work fine. 

I had them lay a piece of tissue paper across the jar. Then they dipped their brushes in the liquid starch and painted it on the paper. You will have to make sure they don't use too much liquid starch. Otherwise your papers will get too soggy.

While the jars were still wet, we took shades of red and pink tissue paper and cut out small and larger size hearts. You can add the hearts directly to the top of the first wet white layer. It will help them adhere. If necessary, paint a little more liquid starch onto the hearts.

Allow them to dry. Takes less than 15 minutes and add your tea lights.

The result is charming, don't you think?

How to make Play Dough

It's almost Easter! Are your kids excited about the Easter bunny? Since my son was born, my sister in law dresses up as the Easter Bunny. When she arrives, he warms up quick. Almost like he knows the Bunny but can pin point the nonhumaness. Is that a word? Normally, I'm in tears from laughter from watching the whole episode. Why? Because it's hilarious. But my son, he ADORES the bunny. Sorry Santa, I know he'll come around. He loves you too.

This week though, my son has been so ecstatic about Easter eggs. His pre-school is having an Easter egg hunt and we volunteered to fill up 2 dozen eggs for his class. His school requested, no nuts and no candy. So we made play dough! Zero dollars and had a ton of leftover eggs from last year. 

So he rolled up some lemony, sparkly play dough, placed each one in a bag and stuffed the eggs. He did all the work.

Here's our favorite Play Dough Recipe if you're into making it yourself... it's fun and your kids will totally dig it! From start to finish.

In a saucepan:

• Add 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 2 tsp cream of tartar (or alum)

Then:

• Mix first, turn burner on to medium heat
• Add 1 cup of water, food coloring of choice, heavy sprinkles of glitter and 1 tbs of cooking oil (we use olive or coconut oil)
• Mix
• Stir while cooking
• Once the play dough has formed a soft dough ball, remove from heat.
• Turn onto the counter and knead

*Add 10-15 drops of essential oil of your choice AFTER the cooking process. In the past we've used peppermint, orange & lavender. Today we used: 

Lemon oil

• promotes clarity of thought
• invigorating
• immune stimulant
• antidepressant

I just poke little dents in the dough with my finger and drop the oil into the dents and then knead the dough before play.

"Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than any other channel" ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

We hope your kids will enjoy making some dough and stimulating their senses!

Ways to Prevent/Remove Pesky Insects Inside Your Home

Carnivorous plants make excellent house plants. Why? Because they attract, catch, and digest insects! They thrive on windowsills and the outdoors in a saucer during the warmer months. Bye bye pesky flies, mosquitoes, gnats...be gone and land on my plant for lunch not my lunch.

You can hand feed the plant insects but not necessary. All you do is keep the soil moist with water and do not use insecticides or fertilizer. Pick up your kit at any Lowes or Home Depot and grow your own Venus Fly Trap!

Tips on PREVENTING GNATS:

1. Get rid of the gnats' food supply. Like so many other insects, gnats feed primarily upon the food scraps yo leave out in the open. The best solution to preventing gnats is to not "feed" them in the first place. By cleaning your kitchen and dining room regularly: CLICK HERE for tips on keeping a clean home. Quickly disposing of leftover food scraps and cooking remnants, you can prevent gnats from invading your house before they ever become a problem. 

2. Don't over-water houseplants. Certain species of gnats love hanging around over-watered house plants and laying their eggs in the soil. You can prevent this from happening by keeping an eye on the soil and making sure it is damp rather than  wet. Also ensure that the plant has adequate drainage. 

3. Watch out for dampness. Gnats love moist places for breeding, so look out for damp corners in the kitchen and other areas of the house. Wipe these damps spots with a green household cleaner or another kind of disinfectant regularly to prevent gnats from invading. Never leave moist towels or clothes lying around, and keep rugs and mats in sunny spots to prevent dampness from developing.

Tips on GETTING RID of Gnats:

1. Make a homemade gnat trap. One easy way to rid yourself of a gnat infestation is with an easy and cheap DIY gnat trap. Find a used can or jar. (Mason jars work especially well) and fill it with apple cider vinegar or any type of vingar. Gnats are extremely attracted to the scent of vinegar. After you fill your can or jar, seal the lid and poke very small holes with a nail or screw. Leave the jar in a space gnats usually inhabit, most likely your kitchen or dining area. You can make several of these jars to leave in multiple locations, if necessary.

2. Gnat-infested plants? Some types of gnats are attracted to the moist soil in house plants and even lay their eggs in it. There are several things you can do to get rid of the gnats and save your plant. First, stop watering your plant until the top two inches of soil become completely dried out. This will cause the gnat eggs and larvae to dry out and die. Unfortunately, the plant may start to look a little sad, but it should quickly perk up once you start watering it again. 

• Grow or invest your own Venus Fly Trap and place it on a windowsill next to other plants.
• Make a homemade gnat spray by mixing a couple of squirts of lemon-scented dish soap with water in a spray bottle. Spray this liberally all over the infected plant-on the leaves, the stem and soil.
• Leave the spray to sit on the plant for an hour or two, this should kill off the gnats. You may then want to spray the plant with plain water to rinse off the soap, to avoid causing damage to the plant.
• If you have taken all of these steps but you still notice gnats hanging around the plant, you may need to repot the plant using fresh soil.

Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream: Homemade Gift Idea

How to make homemade shaving cream! Who knew how easy it is to whip up coconut oil and shea butter that smells of a delicious rosemary-mint pairing. So nice for personalized gifts. 

I made this for my husband for Father's Day and he LOVES it!  His skin is super smooth and incredibly soft. And it's all in one! "I don't even need my after shave!" 

100% all natural shaving cream

Notes:

• I’ve found this works great for sensitive skin. Still, you should ALWAYS test out a small area before applying to larger areas. You may be sensitive to different oils (both essential oils and non), and you want to know before going ahead with a large application. This oil cream allows you a layer of protection from the razor as you shave, and it reduces razor burn for us, even with a dull razor.
• Unlike a traditional shaving cream, this contains no soap. Soap dries skin out, while oils will moisturize and create a protective layer over your skin as you shave. If you have ever used conditioner, a lotion-based cream like Trader Joe’s or Pacific Shaving Company, or coconut/baby oil to shave it’s a similar feeling. The cream will melt a bit on your skin as you apply it. This is okay. Just make a thin layer of the oil and shave as usual.
• Post shave you don’t need to clean your face if you don’t want to. All of the oils and butters in here work as natural conditioners. However, you do want to rub off the excess. Using the same method as removing the coconut oil scrub, just use a warm, wet wash cloth and rinse the skin by pressing firmly. Alternatively, you could use a light face soap or body wash post-shave, if you prefer.
• You can use both refined or unrefined coconut oil. The unrefined version will have a more coconut smell to it. The important distinction here is between coconut oil and fractionated coconut oil. Coconut oil should be a solid at temperatures below 74º F. Fractionated coconut oil is a liquid, and that is not what we want. We want a solid that will make this nice and whippable.
• Shea butter comes from the shea tree in Africa. It’s the best moisturizer! You can find it at Whole Foods and Walgreens.
• The fido jar is from my local Hobby Lobby store or you can find them on Amazon

Just think how great of a gift it would be for that special someone in your life, be it your significant other, your dad, or anyone else in need of some pampering. Paired with a facial scrub and a homemade scented candle you have an easy homemade spa ready for gift gifting this holiday season.

Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream

1/3 cup shea butter 

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup jojoba or sweet almond oil 
10 drops rosemary essential oil
3-5 drops peppermint essential oil

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the shea butter and coconut oil, stirring until just melted. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat-safe bowl. Add in the jojoba oil and the essential oils. Stir to mix.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill until solid. Remove from the refrigerator and whip using a hand beater or a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Spoon into a jar. Lid and keep in a cool, dry place.

Makes 8 ounces

Recipe for Gorgeous Skin

Eat Healthy Foods and Drink Lots of Water

Yes we know right?! But what if I told you to put what you eat on your skin, would you try it? If the answer is no, you will miss out on only a $3 per application DIY facial. If yes, your skin will thank you and it will be glowing. This homemade exfoliator will smooth and hydrate even the driest complexion. The results are amazing! Your skin will thank you.

All you need:

3 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey

Instructions: 

1.  Mix the ingredients together 
(use high power blender or food processor if your flaxseeds are not grounded)

2. Apply to the face and scrub in a circular motion for 30 seconds. Avoid the eye area. 

3. Leave on for 3 to 5 minutes, then rinse.

4. Viola, exfoliated, hydrated, glowing skin-naturally

*Note: You can save the leftover product in the refrigerator for a few weeks. This also makes for a nice cold cold mask for the Summer heat.

Please come back and let me know what you think if you try this! If you have any questions pertaining to this post please leave them below.

Homemade Soy Candles (DIY Gift)

Have you ever made candles? Homemade Soy Candles make fabulous DIY gifts! They are super easy to make and in less than an hour you will have a bunch of awesome candles to share!

These homemade candles are 100% natural soy wax.  I added a bit of essential oil for a light scent, but that part is optional.

I made these during Christmas time but you can add them to gift baskets, decorate your home for a party, they also make great small gifts for housewarming, neighbors and teachers. You really can't go wrong making a batch or two!  

Here all the details so you can get started on them right away. You can find supplies at your local Hobby Lobby or order them on Amazon.

Supplies

• Natural Soy Wax
• Natural Candle Wicks 
• Small Mason Jars or jar of choice
• Essential Oils (choose any scent desired) 
• Tape
• Hole punch
• Glass measuring cup or bowl

Start by filling your large measuring cup or glass container with soy wax and heat it in the microwave on high…check it every 30 seconds and stir. 

Have your jars ready to fill and slowly pour the soy wax into the jars. You'll want to have them in a spot where they can sit and dry for a while without moving them. If you move them too soon you'll end up with soy wax up the edges of your jar where you don't want it.

Once your soy wax is completely melted you can mix in 10-15 drops of essential oil.  You can change the amount according to how strong you want the candles to smell.

To hold the wicks in place while the soy wax dries I created a little holder with what I had around the house…tape and a hole punch.
I just punched a hole in the tape.  Put the wick in the jar and slid the tape {the hole} over the wick and secured it to the sides.  It worked perfectly!

Here’s what that look like in a hour or less.  You can let them dry a few more hours or overnight before trimming the wick and closing them up with the lid. 

I decorated the jar with some strips of red burlap and white string to tie a tag  but there are a million ways to do this part. Just use up some of the craft supplies you have already. You can even  print out free fun handmade labels of your choice here: 
Free Printables

TIP:  You can add a small box of matches inside the jar before you close it up.  That way they don’t have to search for matches.  This is also good for emergency candles…it’s hard to find matches in the dark!

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll help you. It’s so simple I know you’ll enjoy making them!

Sara 

8 HABITS OF A CLEAN HOME

It’s really quite simple to have a home that always looks like a showroom.

Don’t have kids, don’t get married, don’t have guests over, don't have pets and don’t live life in your home. That will pretty much ensure that you have a clean home at all times!

But, that also means you won’t have any fun! If you’re someone who likes to actually live in your home, it will get messy. It will become unorganized. And it will get dirty!

But, there are a few habits you can begin now to ensure that your home is reasonably clean most of the time.

1. Shine Your Sink 

One of the things I learned from my mom was to shine your sink. Why? Because it made all the other stuff looked good. The shine your sink concept is a great habit to begin! Every night take 5 minutes to clean your kitchen. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, clean off the counters and scrub and dry your sink until its shiny.

2. Wash One Load of Laundry Daily

Instead of waiting until the weekend to wash several loads of laundry, get in the habit of washing one load every day. As soon as you wake up, put a load of laundry in the washing machine. As soon as it's finished transfer the load to the dryer. Hopefully it will be finished by the time you leave for the day or in my case stays in the dryer for another day. Then it gets wrinkled so in this case I will put it on air fluff. At night before bed, fold and make your husband put it away. Just kidding. You may modify the routine if you're worried about your clothes getting wrinkled or you have more or less than seven loads of laundry every week. Just make adjustments and find a way to make laundry part of your DAILY routine.

3. Create a Command Center 

This is an area in your home that can be used as a catch all for items that need to be processed. (ex. bills, thank you cards, sticky notes, calendar, keys, bags and sunglasses). Our laundry room that exits to the garage holds a rack for keys, doggy bags, sunglasses & hats.

4. Have a Junk Drawer 

Yes, a junk drawer is a must for a clean home. In some cases, a cabinet or closet may be more reasonable! Having a place to store random items that don't have a home can be so freeing. Plus, when you're in a hurry, sometimes it's just easier to dump everything into one place. We designated a large drawer in our house with different sized boxes. One will hold pens and notepads and others will hold coupons, new recipes from magazines and receipts. Another will hold batteries & chargers. Customize the command center to fit your family and life.

5. Straighten Up Every Night 

Waking up to a clean home can make the start of your day more pleasing and productive. Take a few minutes each night to pick up around the house. It doesn't have to be spotless, but straightening up nightly helps to keep the mess from becoming overwhelming.

6. Become a Minimalist

Reducing clutter reduces stress. You'll have less to clean, less to pick up, and less to maintain. You may even be able to live in a smaller house! Or at least not feel like you have to move into a bigger one.

7. Do one Thing (take baby steps) 

Sometimes the list of household projects can seem so overwhelming. If you have a list of 10 things that you need to replace, build, or update, just pick one thing to complete. Then do on thing that will move you closer to finishing that project. For example, if you need to organize your drawers or closet, start with seasonal shirts in your drawer. Then move onto clothes you don't wear and donate them. Break down a large project by just doing one thing.

8. Create a Cleaning Schedule 

Depending on your personality, a cleaning schedule can be as detailed or scaled down as you want it. Luckily, my husband and I share the duties either throughout the week or all on the weekend. He does ALL the yard work and occasionally vacuum necessary rugs and carpets, and clean bathrooms! I'm blessed with a cleanly man. In either situation, a plan with support will help you move through the list much more quickly. Just like other areas in life, a plan will encourage, motivate, and enable you to reach your goal for a clean home!