DIY Drawer Freshener: Lavender Sachet

I decided on trying to make lavender sachets as dryer sheet substitutes because if they didn't work, then I would just use them as drawer fresheners to keep my clothes smelling great!

Well, shocker-- they don't work for laundry, but they are fabulous for keeping laundry smelling fresh!

It's so simple because once you make a sachet, they will stay good for quite a while. If they need a little sprucing up, you can toss them in the dryer and the heat will release some of the oils.

Also, you can add essential oils to the bags for a little boost. It's also nice if you wanted to do something like lavender herbs with vanilla essential oils. Mmm… smells divine!

But the great thing about this is you can really use any herbs that you want with any combination of essential oils. It's great because you can really make this YOUR SCENT! And if you're married, you can also make your husband's scent if he has his own clothes space.

And you, know that's Totes McGotes.

This Is How You Do It:

• 1 sealable tea bag
• 1 cotton muslin drawstring bag
• 1 tsp dried lavender- I used Lavender Flowers 1/2 Pound from France.

1) Add a scoop of the lavender to the tea bag

2) You can use an iron or a hair straightener to seal the tea bags.

3) Put the sealed tea bag into the muslin drawstring bag

4) Stick it in a drawer to add a fresh scent! 

You can use a lot of different scents/herbs, too! Pretty much any dried herb or flower. Endless possibilities! 

• Rosemary
• Rose Petals
• Basil
• Lavender 
• Mint
• Thyme

You can also add essential oils to the dried herbs such as orange, lemon, vanilla, mint, grapefruit, and so on so you can make a signature scent!

Update: Essential oils that are not 100% Therapeutic Grade should not be ingested and probably should be avoided topically. I have had several complaints of rashes, eczema like symptoms, GI distress and other symptoms from using oils that are not therapeutic grade. I recommend Young Living essential oils.

They are can also be used in drawers to keep clothes fresh!!

Simple Facial Moisturizer with Aloe for Dry, Sensitive Skin

I thought there was a magic age where your skin suddenly started to behave. Maybe it would be 30?! Haha, nope, says the mighty facial bacteria. Apparently there is no age where you suddenly become beautiful. And if there was a magic age, then I'm almost positive that I would have already passed it. {insert really sad face here}

On my 30th birthday I was tragically disappointed with my skin. It was dry, super sensitive, bumpy, just red and puffy. On my birthday, I knew I had to do something different-- I was going to go green! 

Trust me, I had tried everything and at all price points but most things made my skin worse. I used to wear expensive makeup because my skin was bad! And God help me if I used a face scrub because I'd look like Sebastian from the Little Mermaid.

Eventually I gave up because spending a lot of money is stupid. My facial routine was clean with water and pray. Pray a lot. My skin actually improved a little by doing nothing which let me to think that maybe all the chemicals were causing my face to freak out.

Ahhh.. so what can I do?!!

I found out that if I avoid dairy products the redness seems to be a little better, but I decided that I can do more! When I switched to more natural DIY household products (like laundry detergent) I noticed that my skin was happier and my allergies improved. So, maybe a natural DIY moisturizer would make my face happier, too. Makes sense right?

I did a lot of online research. A LOT of research.

I didn't want to make my face look worse so I wanted to be very particular about what I used. I decided to make a product with Aloe Vera, Almond oil, Jojoba oil, and vegetable glycerin. Why? Well, let me tell you!

ACV Hair Rinse Original Recipe

Last year I started implementing some more natural products like making my own laundry detergent and all purpose cleaner and I loved them! But then there was the horrid fail: natural deodorant. Horrible. When I was using it, I'm pretty sure that by 2 o'clock my popularity decreased by exactly 97%. Anyways, since then I have tinkered with the thought of doing other natural products like DIY shampoo and conditioner, skin care, dishwasher detergent and dryer sheets, but I've been a little scared to try again!

However, it is a new year and I'm overcoming my fears!!

Goal: 

I'd like to try to implement one new product a month and then review it at the end of the month and again if I end up tweaking anything. 

Obviously January is almost over, but never fear! I've already started a project: DIY conditioner (hair rinse). I've been doing a lot of research and apparently there are three options: Vinegar, Citrus or Urine.

Obviously urine is out of the question.

According to my research, it's important for hair to have some sort of mild acidic rinse to help rinse out the shampoo residue and to close the hair cuticle which makes hair softer and shinier.

How to Easily Organization Jewelry and Accessories

If you're like me then you hate it when your necklaces get tangled and you can't find the accessories that you want! I really needed to do something about it, but it's hard when you're on a budget! I would have LOVED to do a closet makeover, but unless you're willing to give me some money or I win the lotto, then that isn't going to happen!

I really wanted to have my favorite items visible so I came up with the idea of using bathroom hardware to hang up my necklaces and bracelets, and then using baskets for my clutches and scarves.

You know that you have a problem when you go to Home Depot and they all recognize you. They always ask me what I have up my sleeve this time! I think this is one of the few projects that I haven't had to ask for help though! It's pretty straight forward

What You Need:

• Towel Rack
• S-rings (to hold the necklaces)
• Toilet paper holders
• Closet-maid baskets with attachment bracket.

This project is so great because you can make it whatever you want! You can have two towel racks if you have a lot of necklaces or add more baskets for accessories! You can really make it your own!

It was pretty easy to hang the hardware in my closet which is good because I'm not that tool saavy! The finishing touch was to add S-hooks to the towel rack to hang the necklaces on. Whew! Done.

I LOVE it! It was so simple to do, but it has made my life so much better. I love, love, love this project.

I've been so annoyed lately with getting my necklaces out of my jewelry box and this completely solved that problem. Before my necklaces would get tangled and I spend 20 minutes trying to get them to a wearable state, but now it's more of a grab and go kind of thing which is PERFECT. 

EARRINGS: I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't have my ears pierced (I know. I know.) But if you're looking for a way to hang up your earrings check out these posts:

Sharing the Wealth's Vintage Earring Holder
Boatman's Blog using Bulletin Board and Ribbon
The Flirty Guide's Wire and Frame Earring Holders

It's so nice to be able to see everything all at once!

They were also easy to install and the baskets are moveable so I can rearrange their heights whenever I feel like it. I even have enough room to even add a third basket if I wanted to.

I hope that you like this project as much as I do. I would love to hear about it if you end up trying something similar. There are really so many options if you think outside the box. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Chicken Smothered in Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil

I was looking though my old posts and I came across this recipe and I knew I had to repost a new picture! That old picture is just horrible and didn't do this dish justice!! It's soooo good and super easy to make!

Here is the new picture! Better, right?!

Roasted Lemon Broccoli Recipe. Delicious!

Ahh.. the best part of having a garden is eating what you grow. It looks better, tastes better, and even smells better simply because it was made with your blood sweat and tears. Or maybe it’s just because it’s just better. Anyhow, my mom grew broccoli for the first time this year and it was tasty and so pretty.

Milk does a body..... WHAT?!

Hello my huggable hippie friends! I come with important news and guess what?! IT DOES NOT COST YOU MORE MONEY. Yay! 

All you do is you look at your dairy products and see if it says either:

rBGH-free or rBST-Free - This is important!

Basically, this ensures that you have a dairy product that has not been treated with Bovine Growth Hormone.

Why should you care if you have rBGH free milk? Great Question! Well, the answer is simple: You do not want cancer. Or if you do, then by all means drink it, eat it, roll around in the stuff.

Okay, okay… seriously, Bovine Growth Hormone’s effects haven’t been studied in humans since they’ve only been using it for about 15 years, but we do know that it causes a whole host of problems in cows– infections, cancers, sores, reproductive problems, digestive disorders… the list goes on. Anyways, if this is a natural occurring hormone for cows that they’ve just amped up. The question is what is it going to do to humans who don’t normally produce bovine growth hormone? {scratches head}

Anyways, here are some of the producers of rBGH/rBST free milk. For you FL people– notice Publix (glorious Publix!) is on the list as a complete rBGH free producer. Oh, and Ben and Jerry! Woohoo!! ICE CREAM!!

Remember these are non-organic dairy products, so you aren’t spending more money to purchase them.

———————————————————————————-

Number: Rank by total dairy sales (2006)

P: Partially rBGH-free

C: Completely rBGH-free

1. Dean Foods ( P)

5. Kroger (C) (as of 2/08)

6. Dairy Farmers of America (P)

7. HP Hood (P)

11. Darigold (P)

12. Prairie Farms Dairy (C) (as of 2/08)

14. National Dairy Holdings (P)

16. California Dairies, Inc. (C)

18. Safeway Dairy Group (P)

30. Publix Super Markets (C)

42. Tillamook County Creamery Assoc. (P)

43. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. (C)

53. Stonyfield Farm, Inc. (C)

58. Michigan Milk Producers Assoc. (C) (as of 2/08)

59. Wilcox Farms (C)

72. BelGioioso Cheese Inc. (C)

73. Cloverland/Green Spring Dairy (C)

74. Smith Dairy Products (C)

85. Oakhurst Dairy (C)

88. Wawa Dairy (C)

92. Joseph Gallo Farms (C)

97. Oberweis Dairy Inc. (C)

Notes:

Most of the processors listed above have gone rBGH-free in the past two years

Many other smaller processors have gone completely rBGH-free, which will put sales pressure on larger ones to do so. For instance, in Pennsylvania, Harrisburg Dairies, Rosenbergers and Turner have all gone rBGH-free. They were a major factor in Wawa’s decision to go rBGH-freeas of 10/1/07.

DFA, the nation’s largest co-op, sent a letter to its producers in the Mid-East region (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsylvania) stating that as of 1/1/08 all fluid milk must be rBGH-free.

If you buy organic, then you don’t have to worry as much, but here’s a list of nationwide organic producers:

Alta Dena Organics (Cheese)

City of Industry, CA, 800-535-1369.

Morningland Dairy, Cheese*

Mountain View, MO, 417-469-3817, available by mail order.

Organic Valley* (Milk, Cheese, Butter, Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream, Cream, Powdered Milk)

La Farge, WI, 608-625-2600,http://www.organicvalley.com/

Stonyfield Farms (organic line) (Yogurt and Ice Cream)

Londonderry, NH, 603-437-4040

Wisconsin Organics* (Milk, Cheese, Butter)

Bonduel, WI, 715-758-2280.

http://nwrage.org/files/nwrage/ORPFSR_rbghConsumerGuide.pdf

NOTE: It’s got a lot of west coast stores, but it still applies to the nationwide stores over here in FL

Of course, studies are showing that drinking raw milk is best, but I don’t do that because I'm actually allergic to milk. I drink Almond Milk and Rice Milk, but don't worry-- there will be posts about that too. But if you’re interested here is a link to find the closest producer of raw milk in your area:

http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html

Organic Foods 101

Some of you already know that I’m a little crazy about food and I LOVE to eat! 

I like to buy organic and I love the non-GMO labels because quite frankly I think those Round Up Ready crops are kinda, sorta… well, evil. However, most of you don’t share my thought process and I can respect that. If you want to eat genetically modified foods, then this post probably isn't exactly for you. But if you want some very basic information then hopefully I can help shed some light onto the topic for you!

Which would you rather eat?

How To Eat Healthier:

OK, let’s admit it now the American didn't is called SAD (Standard American Diet) for a reason. SAD is full of carbs and meat with very little thought about veggies and fruits. However, research is showing that we need to go back to a diet based more on the plant based food products, some meats and way less about the carbs. Think caveman. {insert cave man noises here}.

I don't think you need to necessarily go to the "Caveman Diet" to be healthy, but I believe that eating less processed foods and sugar is a fantastic way to start dropping weight and gaining years to your life.

Organic vs."Regular" Food:

Isn't it strange that "regular" food isn't "real" food anymore? 

USDA Organic farmers (and many small, local organic farms working without certification), must use different standards when growing vegetables. These standards include never using:

• Pesticides
• Synthetic Fertilizers
• Sewage sludge (Yes, I said it again, but only because it’s gross. And, yes, it is what you think it is)
• Genetically modified organisms
• Ionizing radiation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and 30% of insecticides to be carcinogenic, and most are damaging to your nervous system as well. Who wants to eat THAT?! Not me!! You?

OK, sure, I admit that organic food is much more expensive than regular food, so if you want to save some money, but eat a little healthier here are the foods with the HIGHEST pesticide loads and you should avoid them unless they are organic:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

These foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onion

If it’s not on the list, then it’s somewhere in the middle. Happy shopping!

DIY Cheap Laundry Detergent

I don't consider myself a tree hugger, but I do consider myself cheap. Sure, I care about the environment so I recycle and I do the whole paperless billing thing, but if we're going to be honest then you should know the truth. I care about learning how to lessen my environmental impact especially if it’s convenient and more cost effective in the long run. Yeah, yeah, yeah… maybe I’m a little selfish. I’ve accepted it and you probably should too.

A friend of mine, Leslie (love ya!) gave me the idea about making my own laundry detergent a few years ago. It is not only more cost effective, but it's gentler on your body and the environment, so I thought why not? 

Building the Hyde Pottery Barn console table

If my American Indian ancestors gave me a name it would be "She who is Cheap". The problem is that I also have expensive taste. I love, love, love Pottery Barn. I also love Michael Kors, Coach, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, and all things pretty. Especially shiny things. ::sigh::

Anyways, I have had this bare spot in my living room that has been asking me to put something from Pottery Barn there. Through much painstaking research I have decided that I wanted something like the Hyde Pottery Barn Console Table. Okay, not something like.... I wanted the Hyde Pottery Barn Console Table, but it also would cost $500.

Hahaha!! $500 for a console table. That's just ridiculous says my cheap, fugal self.

So I look at ebay and craigslist... nope, no one selling my dream table. And then a miracle happens.... I stumble across Ana White's blog. If you have not yet virtually met Ana White then you are missing out on life, my friend. Seriously, she has Pottery Barn knock offs, Pier One knock offs, knock offs of things I don't even know about and they are ALL beautiful.

Find the full build plan for the Hyde Console Table at Ana's Website.